Paris (AFP) July 2, 2024
Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket is set for its first-ever launch next week, carrying with it the continent's hopes of regaining independent access to space and fending off soaring competition from Elon Musk's SpaceX. After four years of delays, the European Space Agency's (ESA) most powerful rocket yet is finally due to blast off from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 3:00 pm (180

Artificial intelligence technologies have achieved remarkable successes and continue to show their value as backbones in scientific research and real-world applications.

ESA’s new Φsat-2 mission, launching in the coming weeks, will push the boundaries of AI for Earth observation – demonstrating the transformative potential of AI for space technology.

Video: 00:38:43

Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg joined ESA’s astronaut candidates from the class of 2022 for basic training through a cooperation agreement with ESA. Tune in as she shares her experiences in astronaut training, her favourite lessons, and what keeps her inspired on her journey to the stars!

This is episode 7 of our ESA Explores podcast series introducing the ESA astronaut class of 2022, recorded in March 2024. 

Find out more about the ESA astronaut class of 2022.

Access all ESA Explores podcasts.

Video: 00:00:48

Several team members wish Euclid a happy first launch anniversary in their own language. ESA’s Euclid satellite launched on 1 July 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon 9, and now resides in an orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. During its mission, Euclid will observe billions of galaxies out to ten billion light-years over one third of the sky to study dark matter and dark energy.   

 
The team members in order of appearance: 

Prof. Carole Mundell – ESA Director of Science,  

Dr. Valeria Pettorino – Euclid Project Scientist, 

Iris Nijman – Euclid communication team,  

Dr. René Laureijs – Euclid Project Scientist, 

Dr.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 01, 2024
One of most lethal forms of cancer, Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PADC), has been classed on wrong side of chemosensitivity scale- those varieties that are very resistant to chemotherapy. The prognosis for PADC diagnosed at a late stage is poor, with a 5-year survival of less than 10%. However, nanomedicine may actually help constitute a plausible avenue for improving effectiveness of PADC t

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 01, 2024
China's Chang'e 6 robotic probe has successfully retrieved 1,935.3 grams of lunar samples from the moon's far side, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Friday morning. These samples, now in the hands of scientists, are considered scientifically invaluable. The weight of the samples, eagerly anticipated by the scientific community, was disclosed during a handover ceremo

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 01, 2024
Beijing: Space Pioneer, a Chinese aerospace company, experienced an accidental rocket launch during a developmental test in Gongyi, central China. Beijing Tianbing Technology Co, also known as Space Pioneer, reported that the first stage of its Tianlong-3 rocket detached from the launch pad during a structural failure test. Initial investigations revealed no casualties, according to the co

London, UK (SPX) Jul 01, 2024
Techniques designed to analyze the ripples in spacetime detected by one of the most sensitive pieces of scientific equipment in the 21st century have shed new light on the function of the oldest known analogue computer. Astronomers from the University of Glasgow utilized statistical modeling techniques developed for gravitational wave analysis to determine the probable number of holes in o

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 01, 2024
NASA's longest-lived Mars robot is about to mark a new milestone on June 30: 100,000 trips around the Red Planet since launching 23 years ago. During that time, the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter has been mapping minerals and ice across the Martian surface, identifying landing sites for future missions, and relaying data to Earth from NASA's rovers and landers. Scientists recently used the orbi

Madrid, Spain (SPX) Jul 01, 2024
PLD Space has presented its MIURA 5 SPARK Programme, offering educational centres, universities, institutions, and companies worldwide access to the first two MIURA 5 launches free of charge. The company will cover mission costs to promote scientific and technological innovation aimed at improving life on Earth from space. This initiative is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, In