News: ESTEC
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
- LMT Group and Novaspace partner to develop strategy for 5G/6G satellite communications hub in Latvia SpaceNews · 1 Oct 2026 Noordwijk, the Netherlands | September 22, 2026 – During the international Industry Space Days 2026 event at the European Space Agency’s ESTEC facility in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, the Latvian Mobile Telephone […]
- ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart, seen from orbit ESA · 25 Sep 2026 From the International Space Station, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot has photographed cities, coastlines and landscapes across the world during her nearly eight-month εpsilon mission. This time, her camera turned towards a...
- Record participation in ESA’s Industry Space Days 2026 ESA · 24 Sep 2026 On 16–17 September, the European Space Agency (ESA) hosted a record 3100 visitors from Europe’s space industry for a two-day Industry Space Days (ISD) event at ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands.
- Three space companies win ESA awards for excellence and innovation ESA · 17 Sep 2026 On 16 September at its Industry Space Days 2026 event at ESA–ESTEC in the Netherlands, the European Space Agency (ESA) honoured three space companies with this year’s prestigious awards for excellence and innovation.
- Galileo's first civil authenticated position fix in spoofing conditions ESA · 17 Sep 2026 For two hours on the afternoon of Wednesday 16 September, five operational Galileo satellites broadcasting over Europe transmitted a new encrypted signal for testing. On the ground in Andøya, Norway, and at ESA’s navigat...
- Galileo's first civil authenticated position fix under spoofing conditions ESA · 17 Sep 2026 For two hours on the afternoon of Wednesday 16 September, five operational Galileo satellites broadcasting over Europe transmitted a new encrypted signal for testing. On the ground in Andøya, Norway, and at ESA’s navigat...
- From drone flight to sounding rocket ESA · 30 Jul 2026 A drone carrying an unusual payload recently took to the skies above ESTEC, the European Space Agency’s technical centre in the Netherlands, marking the first test flight of a student-developed radar retroreflector techn...
- Meet space startups at ESA’s Industry Space Days ESA · 27 Jul 2026 Startup companies which have come up with brilliant ideas for using space will join the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Industry Space Days (ISD) event on 16–17 September at ESA-ESTEC in the Netherlands.
- Plato's electronics ready for space ESA · 20 Jul 2026 The European Space Agency’s terrestrial planet hunter Plato has recently completed a series of key tests inside the Maxwell Test Chamber at ESTEC, demonstrating that its electronic equipment is fit to work in space.
- Artemis II crew at ESTEC ESA · 20 Jul 2026 The four Artemis II astronauts visited ESTEC, ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands, on 13 July as the first stop in a series of post-flight visits to the European teams that made their mission possible.
- Former NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps visits ESTEC ESA · 12 Mar 2026 From the ESA Blogs.
- A close-up look <br>at the first metal <br>part made in space ESA · 13 Nov 2025 This February, the first-ever metal part 3D-printed in space landed on Earth. Produced in the European Space Agency’s Metal 3D Printer Technology Demonstrator on the International Space Station, it is now in the hands of...
- Celebrating 30 years of European satellite navigation ESA · 12 Nov 2025 The year 2025 marked three decades of satellite navigation in Europe. To celebrate this milestone, on 2 September, the European Space Agency (ESA) opened the doors of ESTEC, its research and technology centre. Partners f...
- Europe celebrates 30 years of satellite navigation ESA · 12 Sep 2025 On 2 September 2025, the European Space Agency (ESA) opened the doors of ESTEC, its research and technology centre, to celebrate 30 years of European satellite navigation. Partners from across the continent gathered for...
- Plato arrived at ESA’s test centre by boat ESA · 11 Sep 2025 The European Space Agency’s Plato spacecraft has safely arrived at ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands. There, engineers will complete the spacecraft by connecting its solar panels and sunshield, and carry ou...
- Student teams explore ESA’s robotics labs ESA · 6 Mar 2025 To kick off this year’s ESA Academy Experiments programme, five university student teams from across Europe were invited to visit the experimental test facilities at ESTEC – ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands – an...
- Avio Ships Space Rider Service Module Structure for Testing European Spaceflight · 22 Jan 2025 Italian rocket builder Avio has delivered the main structure of the first Space Rider service module to ESA’s ESTEC facility in the Netherlands for testing ahead of its inaugural flight. Space Rider is an uncrewed, reusa...
- Smile's other half arrives | Let’s Smile (action snippet) ESA · 12 Dec 2024 On 9 December 2024, the Smile Platform arrived safely at Amsterdam Schiphol airport and was subsequently transported to ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. It came a...
- Arianespace Envisions Post-2030 Ariane 6 Upgrades European Spaceflight · 28 Oct 2024 Arianespace has announced that potential post-Block-2 upgrades for the Ariane 6 rocket are currently under assessment. These “Block 3” improvements will likely be introduced in the 2030s if approved. During an Ariane 6 U...
- ESA's Open Day in the Netherlands ESA · 17 Oct 2024 On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October 2024, the European Space Agency opened the doors to the European Space Research and Technology Centre, ESTEC, in the Netherlands, welcoming some 9000 visitors to its 13th annual Open Da...
- Highlights of ESA’s Industry Space Days 2024 ESA · 20 Sep 2024 On 18–19 September, Europe’s space industry from start-up companies to large system integrators gathered at ESA–ESTEC in the Netherlands for Industry Space Days 2024.
- Watch the livestream of Industry Space Days 2024 ESA · 17 Sep 2024 On 18–19 September, industry will meet at ESA–ESTEC in Noordwijk for ESA’s biennial Industry Space Days (ISD) event.
- Goodbye Hera: asteroid mission departs ESA test centre ESA · 2 Sep 2024 After a year of testing, ESA’s Hera asteroid mission for planetary defence is about to depart Europe and head towards its launch site in the USA. The Hera team looked on as the crated spacecraft – along with its twin min...
- Make the most of ESA’s Industry Space Days 2024 ESA · 25 Jul 2024 Participants of ESA’s Industry Space Days (ISD 2024) share insights and tips on how to make the most of this space technology business event on 18–19 September at ESA-ESTEC in Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
- Zero-G testing on Europe’s flattest floor ESA · 17 Jul 2024 A student team testing a new approach to satellite propulsion came to the flattest floor in Europe – based at ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands – which is used to reproduce the experience of weightless free...
- Six mind-blowing facts about Galileo ESA · 22 Apr 2024 Did you know Galileo was born in the Netherlands in the 1990s? Europe’s own global navigation satellite system was developed in ESA’s technological heart, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, almost three decades ago. Since then, it has...
- ESA’s NavLab drone ESA · 22 Jan 2024 Based at the ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands, ESA’s Navigation Laboratory has a high-flying new recruit: this drone can carry different types of satellite navigation receivers to collect data for follow-on anal...
- NAVISP Industry 2023 @ ESTEC ESA · 5 Dec 2023 In November 2023, ESA hosted its annual NAVISP Industry Days event. This year, more than 200 positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) professionals from across Europe gathered at ESA’s Space Research and Technology Centr...
- ESA, China conduct spacecraft-rocket integration tests but joint science mission delayed to 2025 SpaceNews · 20 Feb 2023 Scientists at the European Space Agency’s ESTEC and visiting Chinese counterparts conducted a series of spacecraft-rocket integration tests for a joint mission.
- Testing Galileo for space ESA · 3 Nov 2022 Galileo has grown to become Europe’s single largest satellite constellation, and the world’s most accurate satellite navigation system, delivering metre-level positioning to more than 3.5 billion users around the globe....