Space News & Blog Articles

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Press briefing Webb Telescope

Video: 00:45:03

Replay of the 16 December 2021 online press briefing about the James Webb Space Telescope.

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Earth from Space: Kourou, French Guiana

Ahead of the upcoming Ariane 5 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Kourou – home to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, an overseas department of France.

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Did black holes form immediately after the Big Bang?

How did supermassive black holes form? What is dark matter? In an alternative model for how the Universe came to be, as compared to the ‘textbook’ history of the Universe, a team of astronomers propose that both of these cosmic mysteries could be explained by so-called ‘primordial black holes’.

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Kitesurfing the white wilderness for science

In an astonishing feat of endurance, explorers Justin Packshaw and Jamie Facer Childs are a quarter of the way through a 3600-km kitesurf trek that takes them across the desolate heart of Antarctica. They are not pushing their physical and mental limits to the brink, facing howling gales and temperatures of –55°C just for the sake of adventure. They are gathering information to help scientists better understand how the body responds to extremes and taking unique measurements of their ice environment that will help complement ESA’s CryoSat mission to better understand how this giant ice sheet is evolving in response to climate change.

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Lunar robot wars

Image: Lunar robot wars

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ESA contract to advance Vega-C competitiveness

ESA’s Vega-C launch vehicle will fly in the second quarter of 2022 offering more performance to all orbits and extended mission flexibility at a similar cost to the current Vega. A new contract aims to widen these mission capabilities to capture new opportunities and satisfy emerging market needs to 2027.

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Swarm and Cluster get to the bottom of geomagnetic storms

The notion of living in a bubble is usually associated with negative connotations, but all life on Earth is dependent on the safe bubble created by our magnetic field. Understanding how the field is generated, how it protects us and how it sometimes gives way to charged particles from the solar wind is not just a matter of scientific interest, but also a matter of safety. Using information from ESA’s Cluster and Swarm missions along with measurements from the ground, scientists have, for the first time, been able to confirm that curiously named bursty bulk flows are directly connected to abrupt changes in the magnetic field near Earth’s surface, which can cause damage to pipelines and electrical power lines.

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Webb placed on top of Ariane 5

On Saturday 11 December, the James Webb Space Telescope was placed on top of the Ariane 5 rocket that will launch it to space from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

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Solar Orbiter publishes a wealth of science results from its cruise phase

For a mission yet to have entered its main science phase, Solar Orbiter has already generated a lot of great science. Today sees the publication of a wealth of results from the mission’s cruise phase.

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Double drop test success for ExoMars parachutes

The largest parachute set to fly on Mars has completed its first successful high-altitude drop test, a critical milestone for ensuring the ExoMars mission is on track for launch in 2022. Both the first and second stage parachutes have now successfully flown this year.

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ESA Highlights: images and achievements from 2021

ESA Highlights: images and achievements from 2021

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Explore the Red Planet with ESA and PLAYMOBIL

We’re already exploring Mars, with two spacecraft in orbit and an ambitious rover mission planned for launch next year – but now you can join in these martian adventures with your own PLAYMOBIL Mars Expedition!

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Out now: the December quarterly ESA Impact

ESA Impact 2021 Q4 edition

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Week in images: 6 - 10 December 2021

Week in images: 6 - 10 December 2021

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Astronaut applicants thanked as ESA contacts all candidates

Applicants to ESA’s astronaut selection are being thanked for their patience as thousands of acceptance or rejection notifications are distributed to candidates across Europe.

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Science with Webb: the nearby cosmos

Video: 00:00:57

The James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) is designed to answer fundamental questions about the Universe.

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Earth from Space: Fairbanks, Alaska

The city of Fairbanks, the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and its surroundings, are featured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image.

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Webb moved to meet Ariane 5

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The James Webb Space Telescope was transferred to the final assembly building at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 7 December 2021, to meet its Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

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Europe opens up a new space to commercial services

ESA is calling on industry to come forward with ideas for crew and cargo transportation, operations, payloads, research, living quarters and even astronaut training. All of this could develop into new services in an effort to enlarge the space ecosystem to the commercial sphere.

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Blood disc for astronaut diagnosis

Image: Blood disc for astronaut diagnosis

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Ariane 5 moved to meet Webb

The Ariane 5 launch vehicle which will launch the James Webb Space Telescope was moved to the final assembly building at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 29 November 2021.

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