Copernical Team
Earth from Space: New Orleans and the mighty Mississippi
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This colourful radar image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission features New Orleans and the delta of the Mississippi River, one the largest rivers in North America. HydroGNSS data open for new insights into Earth’s water
The European Space Agency's two-satellite HydroGNSS Scout mission has completed commissioning and is now in full scientific operations.
Following extensive testing and validation of the satellites, instruments and ground segment, HydroGNSS data are now freely available to users worldwide, opening new opportunities to advance our understanding of water availability and the impacts of climate change on Earth's water cycle.
This Month at ESA: July 2026
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What did space have in store for Europe this July?
The Artemis II crew visited ESA’s technical center in the Netherlands to meet the team behind Orion’s European Service Module, celebrating the colaboration that powered their trip around the Moon. Meanwhile, ESA’s Hera successfully upgraded it’s software fom 140 milliom km away, in preperation for it’s investigation of Dydimos and Dimorphos later this year.
July also saw FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C head to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in preperation for their launch this September. Then, the James Webb Space Telescope celebrates four years of sciency with a spectacular
From drone flight to sounding rocket
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 technology.
SMOS salinity could offer early indicator of El Niño
As the Pacific Ocean moves into an El Niño phase, scientists are monitoring changes in sea-surface temperature, but also sea-surface salinity – which is another key indicator of this phenomenon.
Measurements from satellites such as the European Space Agency's SMOS mission are revealing how freshwater and salt patterns shift across the Pacific as this year’s El Niño develops – offering a potential new pathway for early detection.
Earth and Proba-3’s Coronagraph play hide and seek
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Earth and Proba-3’s Coronagraph play hide and seek Liftoff as Ariane 6 takes flight for the first time
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Liftoff as Ariane 6 takes flight for the first time How Sentinel-1 measured movement of Venezuela quakes
More than one month on from the catastrophic twin earthquakes in northern Venezuela on 24 June 2026, satellite data show the ground displacement was greater than first estimated.
France’s postal service, La Poste, honours Ariane 6
To mark Europe’s newest generation heavy‑lift launcher, La Poste, France’s national postal service, has issued a collector set of eight stamps featuring Ariane 6, paying tribute to Europe’s ambitious space programme.
Vertical liftoff as Ariane 6 takes flight for the first time
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Vertical liftoff as Ariane 6 takes flight for the first time 
