Galileo: the journey of satellites 33 and 34
Friday, 19 December 2025 15:30
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On 17 December 2025, two new Galileo satellites lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. This was the 14th launch for Europe’s satellite navigation operational satellite programme, reinforcing Europe’s resilience and autonomy. The flight, VA266, was the first launch of Galileo satellites on Europe’s newest heavy-lift launcher Ariane 6.
The satellites, designated SAT 33 and SAT 34, separated from the launcher after a flight of just under four hours. The launch was declared successful after acquisition of signal and the confirmation that both satellites are healthy with their solar arrays deployed.
“With these new satellites, we strengthen Europe’s global navigation
Post-CM25 industry event online set for 14 January
Friday, 19 December 2025 15:05
On 14 January 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) will hold an online post-CM25 industry event for all ESA industrial partners.
ESA Impact 2025 - October-December
Friday, 19 December 2025 14:49
ESA Impact 2025 - October-December
Welcome to ESA Impact, your interactive gateway to the most captivating stories and stunning visuals from the European Space Agency, now in a mobile-friendly format.
Middle East Space Conference 2026 Returns to Muscat as a Strategic Platform for Regional Growth
Friday, 19 December 2025 14:37
Space station research supports new FDA-approved cancer therapy
Friday, 19 December 2025 13:34Verifying that you are not a bot
Week in images: 15-19 December 2025
Friday, 19 December 2025 13:15
Week in images: 15-19 December 2025
Discover our week through the lens
The hidden backbone of space security: how to keep satellites safe through proper logistics
Friday, 19 December 2025 13:00
The modern space economy is increasingly powered by dual-use satellites that support both civilian services and national security needs.
Europe’s next solid propellant rocket motor passes review
Friday, 19 December 2025 12:47
Trump shifts priority to Moon mission, not Mars
Friday, 19 December 2025 12:43
US President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed that he wants to send astronauts back to the Moon as soon as possible, putting eventual Mars missions on the back burner.
In an executive order on his space policy, Trump said he wanted to get Americans to the Moon by 2028, under NASA's Artemis program launched during his first White House term.
Such a lunar landing would "assert American l BlackSky accelerates Gen-3 satellite into full commercial service in three weeks
Friday, 19 December 2025 12:43
BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) has placed its third Gen-3 imaging satellite into commercial service just three weeks after launch, marking a major reduction in commissioning time compared with the company's first Gen-3 unit. The new spacecraft adds further capacity for 35-centimeter-class very high-resolution imagery and AI-enabled analytics for BlackSky customers worldwide.
"Integr "Robot, make me a chair" robot-make-me-a-chair-in-six-prompts
Friday, 19 December 2025 12:43
Computer-aided design (CAD) systems are tried-and-true tools used to design many of the physical objects we use each day. But CAD software requires extensive expertise to master, and many tools incorporate such a high level of detail they don't lend themselves to brainstorming or rapid prototyping.
In an effort to make design faster and more accessible for non-experts, researchers from MIT Sentinel 6B begins sea level mapping campaign
Friday, 19 December 2025 12:43
Sentinel-6B has begun returning its first ocean measurements, providing initial maps of sea level across a wide area of the U.S. East Coast and the Atlantic Ocean after its November launch. The U.S.-European mission is designed to survey about 90 percent of Earth's oceans using high-precision radar altimetry to track changes in sea surface height that affect coastal communities and marine operat Laser experiment proposed to probe quantum nature of gravity
Friday, 19 December 2025 12:43
Researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf have outlined an experiment in which light exchanges discrete packets of energy with gravitational waves, potentially revealing the long-sought quantum properties of gravity. In the proposed scheme, a laser beam interacts with a passing gravitational wave so that the light loses or gains an energy amount corresponding to one or more gravitons, New NASA Sensor Goes Hunting for Critical Minerals
Friday, 19 December 2025 12:43
Cradled in the nose of a high-altitude research airplane, a new NASA sensor has taken to the skies to help geoscientists map rocks hosting lithium and other critical minerals on Earth's surface some 60,000 feet below. In collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the flights are part of the largest airborne campaign of its kind in the country's history.
But that's just one of ma NASA backs CINEMA smallsat fleet to probe Earth magnetotail
Friday, 19 December 2025 12:43
NASA has selected Dartmouth College and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, to begin developing a mission that will shed more light on the growing impacts of space weather.
The Cross-scale Investigation of Earths Magnetotail and Aurora (CINEMA) mission will unlock the secrets of the energy circulation through Earths magnetotail. The magnetotail is an ext