ESA Establishes Human and Robotic Exploration Biobank in Portugal
European Spaceflight · 24 Jul 2025
The European Space Agency has selected the Gulbenkian Institute of Molecular Medicine in Lisbon, Portugal, to host its new Human and Robotic Exploration Biobank. In December 2024, ESA published a call for proposals for t...
Ignis Mission: Return to Earth
ESA · 23 Jul 2025
On 15 July 2025, with the splashdown of the Dragon capsule off the coast of California, the Ignis mission ended after a 20-day space journey. ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland, during nearly 2...
ESA Recertifies ExoMars Parachutes After Years in Storage
European Spaceflight · 21 Jul 2025
The European Space Agency announced on 21 July that it had retested a pair of parachutes designed to enable its Rosalind Franklin rover to land safely on the surface of Mars. The ExoMars mission is currently scheduled fo...
ESA Finally Kicks Off Flying Engine Testbed Project Following ITT Reissue
European Spaceflight · 19 Jul 2025
The European Space Agency has tapped UK-based Frazer-Nash to begin work on a Mach 5-capable flying testbed that will be used to test technology for future reusable spacecraft. In late 2021, ESA published the first invita...
Hubble Snaps Galaxy Cluster’s Portrait
NASA · 18 Jul 2025
A massive, spacetime-warping cluster of galaxies is the setting of today’s NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. The galaxy cluster in question is Abell 209, located 2.8 billion light-years away in the constellation Cet...
Federal Chancellor of Austria welcomed to ESA Headquarters
ESA · 18 Jul 2025
On Friday 18 July, His Excellency Christian Stocker, Federal Chancellor of Austria, visited ESA Headquarters in Paris receiving a tour of the site from Director General Josef Aschbacher.
Hubble Digs Up Galactic Time Capsule
NASA · 18 Jul 2025
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the field of stars that is NGC 1786. This globular cluster is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a small satellite galaxy of the Milky Way Galaxy that is appr...
Vigil: ESA’s space weather reporter in deep space
ESA · 17 Jul 2025
Space weather ‘reporter’ Vigil will be the world’s first space weather mission to be permanently positioned at Lagrange point 5, a unique vantage point that allows us to see solar activity days before it reaches Earth. E...
ESA Backs EuroSpaceport’s North Sea Launch Site
European Spaceflight · 16 Jul 2025
EuroSpaceport has secured European Space Agency support for its North Sea launch site. The announcement also revealed that Poland’s SpaceForest has signed on to launch its suborbital Perun rocket from the facility in the...
Earth views from Cupola during Ignis mission
ESA · 16 Jul 2025
View of Earth as seen by ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski inside the seven-windowed cupola, the International Space Station's "window to the world".
Ignis mission highlights
ESA · 15 Jul 2025
After 20 days in space, ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and his Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crewmates returned safely to Earth today, 15 July 2025.
Hubble Snaps Galaxy Cluster’s Portrait
NASA · 11 Jul 2025
A massive, spacetime-warping cluster of galaxies is the setting of today’s NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. The galaxy cluster in question is Abell 209, located 2.8 billion light-years away in the constellation Cet...
ESA Council receives Anniversary Statement
ESA · 11 Jul 2025
The Council of the European Space Agency has received the Anniversary Statement as signed by Member States marking 50 years of the agency.
ESA Council receives Anniversary Statement
ESA · 11 Jul 2025
The Council of the European Space Agency has received the Anniversary Statement as signed by Member States marking 50 years of the agency.
Webb scratches under Cat’s Paw Nebula for third anniversary
ESA · 10 Jul 2025
To mark its third year of highly productive science, astronomers used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to scratch beyond the surface of the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334), a massive, local star-forming region.
Europe's first deep-space optical communication link
ESA · 10 Jul 2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully established a transmission-reception optical link with NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment onboard its Psyche mission, located 265 million kilometres aw...
ESA Validates Space Rider Landing Accuracy with Drop Test Campaign
European Spaceflight · 9 Jul 2025
The European Space Agency has confirmed the successful completion of a series of drop tests, validating the landing accuracy of its reusable Space Rider spacecraft. Space Rider is a reusable spacecraft initiative aimed a...
From ESA lab to a historic drone race win
ESA · 8 Jul 2025
An autonomous drone has beaten human drone racing champions in an international competition for the first time. A team of scientists from Delft University of Technology has taken first place at the A2RL Drone Championshi...
ESA selects five companies for next phase of launcher competition
SpaceNews · 8 Jul 2025
The European Space Agency has selected five launch vehicle startups to proceed to the next phase of a competition where they could receive contracts for satellite launches and upgraded vehicles.
ESA Shortlists Five Companies for European Launcher Challenge
European Spaceflight · 7 Jul 2025
The European Space Agency has selected Isar Aerospace, Rocket Factory Augsburg, PLD Space, MaiaSpace, and Orbex to proceed to the next phase of its European Launcher Challenge. ESA unveiled the European Launcher Challeng...
Antarctic waters getting saltier as sea ice wanes
ESA · 4 Jul 2025
Using data from ESA’s SMOS satellite, scientists have revealed a surprising shift in the Southern Ocean – surface waters around Antarctica are growing saltier, even as sea ice is diminishing rapidly. This finding defies...
ESA tracks rare interstellar comet
ESA · 3 Jul 2025
Astronomers have confirmed the discovery of a rare celestial visitor: a comet from beyond our Solar System.
ESA prepares downselect for European Launcher Challenge
SpaceNews · 3 Jul 2025
The European Space Agency will soon select the finalists for a competition intended to support the development of new launch vehicles by European companies.