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Time to wake up MetOp-SG-B1 weather satellite
Following a short period in storage after arriving at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the MetOp Second Generation-B1 satellite has been transferred to a cleanroom and removed from its transport container. The team is now preparing to reactivate this ‘sleeping beauty, and begin the final checks…
10 asteroid mysteries that Hera will explore
Video: 00:07:25 Hera, the European Space Agency’s first mission for planetary defence, arrives at its target body during November, with the goal of gathering precious data on the kinetic impact method of asteroid deflection – while also solving various scientific enigmas. The small-car-sized…
CubeSat achieves challenging laser link to ground
Despite it being a complex operation, ERMIS-3, an 8U CubeSat developed by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, has established a link with an optical ground station marking an important step in validating optical communications on small satellites. The demonstration, supported by the…
What happened this month at the European Space Agency? (October 2026)
Video: 00:04:30 October was a month of discoveries and milestones. ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover team trained in Spain’s desert, preparing for Mars. Our Smile mission captured the full ring of northern lights around Earth, while Mars Express uncovered new clues about a giant Martian cloud. ESA…
Week in images: 26-30 October 2026
Discover our week through the lens
Earth from Space: Champi’s eerie eye
Image: This image of Super Typhoon Champi from Copernicus Sentinel-3 was captured on 21 October 2026 off the coasts of Taiwan and the Philippines.
Ghostly Cat’s Head Nebula lurks within sight of Hubble and Webb
The NASA/ESA Hubble and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescopes recently stared at an eerie star-forming scene within the Carina Nebula, a massive gas and dust cloud located approximately 7500 light-years away from Earth. The two telescopes offer complementary views of the shadowy form…
First light: Hera resolves two asteroids instead of one
The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft for planetary defence has resolved its two target asteroids separately for the very first time, revealing the binary nature of the Didymos system, currently some 197 million km away from Earth.
ESA procures four new Galileo Second Generation satellites
The European Space Agency (ESA) has extended ongoing contracts to build four additional Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites, ensuring the long-term continuity of the constellation and supporting the rollout of new services. With this procurement, the Galileo Second Generation fleet grows to…
Ice mission CRISTAL opens its wings
With its solar arrays integrated and key qualification reviews under way, Europe’s new ice-monitoring satellite, CRISTAL, is moving from assembly into the demanding testing phase that will demonstrate its readiness for the rigours of launch and life in orbit.
Week in images: 19-23 October 2026
Discover our week through the lens
Earth from Space: The pink city
Image: This image shows a detailed view of the city of Toulouse in southwest France, with its terracotta tiled rooftops lending it the nickname la ville rose, or the pink city.
350th ESA Council: Media information session
Video: 01:45:34 Watch the replay of the media information session where ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and ESA Council Chair at delegate level Juan Carlos Cortés outline the key decisions and main outcomes of the 350th Council meeting held at ESA Headquarters in Paris on 21—22 October 2026.
ESA Open Days 2026
Video: 00:00:49 ESA Open Days 2026 welcomed over 23 000 visitors across its six establishments, giving the public the opportunity to discover more about Europe’s space activities, meet the people behind the missions and explore how ESA is shaping the future of space.
ESA Council approves appointment of two new directors
The European Space Agency Council has approved the appointment of two new directors: Andrzej Banasiak as Director of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership, and Nicolaus Hanowski as Director of Space Operations.
Stars brewing in a nebulous cauldron
Image: Stars brewing in a nebulous cauldron
New brain for Galileo
Twelve Galileo Second Generation (G2) satellites will join the current fleet in the coming years. They will deliver unprecedented positioning, navigation and timing capabilities thanks to an array of new features, including a new signal generation module, the ‘brain' of the spacecraft.
Euclid discovers new comet
The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has discovered its first previously unknown comet, in images taken between 16 and 24 September 2026.
Earth from Space: West Antarctica
Image: This image over part of West Antarctica was captured by Copernicus Sentinel-3 on 30 September 2026.
Week in images: 12-16 October 2026
Discover our week through the lens
In the directory since 25 Sept 2026 · last checked 9 Nov 2026 · RSS