Reliable connectivity in areas suddenly hit by outages or low coverage, such as disaster zones or crowded events, is now within reach, thanks to a new purpose-built connectivity trailer that can be set up in minutes. The European Space Agency (ESA), UK-based and European tech companies Excelerate Technology, Eutelsat, and Livewire Digital, with support from the UK Space Agency, have teamed up to deliver NOMADLINK, an innovative project providing a rapid, resilient connectivity gateway. 

On 25 March, the first two satellites of the Celeste LEO-PNT in-orbit demonstration mission will lift off aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Māhia Launch Complex in New Zealand.

Coverage will start 9:53 CET with live commentary. The rocket is scheduled for liftoff at 10:14, with a launch window of about an hour.

No matter how much planning goes into space missions, one must always expect the unexpected. But luck favours the prepared. In July 2025, an unexpected visitor entered our Solar System, interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – Juice – happened to be in the right place, with the right equipment, at the right time to see it. 

This unique vantage point offered a fleeting opportunity. What followed was a race against time. 

Genesis is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) navigation mission to measure Earth down to the millimetre. This precise measurement of Earth will have wide-ranging benefits, from satellite navigation to orbit determination to Earth science.

This video was published on social media by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot with the following caption:

Day 035, orbit 0541 – Three cargo vehicles departing the Station in just three weeks… and since I recorded this video, we also waved goodbye to a Progress!

The Northrop Grumman Cygnus NG23 was named S.S. William “Willie” McCool in honor of the NASA astronaut and naval aviator test pilot who perished in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia accident. Following a U.S. Navy tradition, Jack – who shares the same professional background – rang the Station bell to mark the spacecraft’s departure.

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Week in images: 16-20 March 2026

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