Through its Heritage Data Programme, ESA ensures the preservation and access to Earth observation satellite data for now and the future To source
Tag Archives | image
Hidden connections
Operations image of the week: Mission controllers will link up with ESA’s new Sun-observing satellite before it’s even left Earth To source
Cloud Formation in the South Indian Ocean
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station snapped this image as the station flew 265 miles above this cloudy formation in the south Indian Ocean. To source
ESA oversees teaching of Europe’s next top solderers
Satellites are among the most complex machines ever designed, but in key respects they are still hand-made. A set of ESA-approved training schools train and certify the best solderers in Europe, to ensure they have sufficient ability to work on electronic hardware for space missions. To source
Space antenna
Human and robotic exploration image of the week: the steps to installing a new communications antenna for Columbus space laboratory To source
Two-armed 3D printing
Technology image of the week: twin robotic arms work together to 3D print and mill a test version of the optical heart of ESA’s Athena X-ray observatory To source
ESA boosts startup to the Moon
European Space Agency operations specialists are helping flight planners at new European space startup PTScientists , headquartered in Berlin, pilot their way to the Moon. PTScientists are planning to launch lunar landers and rovers as a regular service in the future, with an inaugural flight expected in 2020. To source
Operation IceBridge: Exploring Alaska’s Mountain Glaciers
In Alaska, 5 percent of the land is covered by glaciers that are losing a lot of ice and contributing to sea level rise. To source
ESA’s ‘Cubesat central’ for smaller missions into space
ESA has set up a dedicated unit to work on the standardised nanosatellites called ‘CubeSats’, teaming up with European companies to develop low-cost technology-testing missions. Missions in preparation include a double CubeSat to test rendezvous and docking techniques, and one to explore near-Earth asteroids. To source
First satellite in European SpaceDataHighway forges 20,000 successful laser links
The European Data Relay System (EDRS)—dubbed the “SpaceDataHighway” by its private operator, Airbus—has passed another milestone. To source
ESA and DLR in joint study to support deep space missions
An existing deep-space dish antenna at the DLR Weilheim site, near Munich, may offer an almost-readymade solution to the problem of providing sufficient ground station capacity to support ESA’s current and future deep-space exploration missions. Now and in the next few years, ESA is sending some of the most advanced spacecraft ever flown to exotic […]
Forging the future
Where does ESA get its ideas from? One major source of new concepts is through our Discovery & Preparation activities, forming part of ESA’s Basic Activities. Working with and across all ESA programmes, from human spaceflight to Earth observation , Discovery & Preparation lays the groundwork for ESA’s nearer-term future activities. To source
Mars Express matches methane spike measured by Curiosity
A reanalysis of data collected by ESA’s Mars Express during the first 20 months of NASA’s Curiosity mission found one case of correlated methane detection, the first time an in-situ measurement has been independently confirmed from orbit. To source