An international team of scientists have used data collected by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to detect a molecule [1] known as the methyl cation (CH3+) for the first time, located in the protoplanetary disc surrounding a young star. They accomplished this feat with a cross-disciplinary expert analysis, including key input from laboratory spectroscopists. 

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On Friday 23 June, Euclid was secured to the adaptor of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Engineers attached the satellite to the adaptor that will be placed on the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, which will launch Euclid into space. ESA’s new cosmological mission Euclid is getting ready for lift-off with a target launch date of 1 July 2023 from Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA).

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to help us uncover the great cosmic mystery of dark matter and dark energy. The space telescope will observe more than a third of the sky with

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On 22 June 2023 at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, engineers rolled back the mobile gantry protecting Ariane 6 on its launch pad. The exercise helped validate ground systems and prepare for a series of engine fire tests.

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Image: Spacesuit design: Alberto Piovesan

Stennis Space Center MS (SPX) Jun 24, 2023
Aerojet Rocketdyne and NASA completed a certification test series yesterday for the new RS-25 production engines that will propel NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) exploration rocket for Artemis missions, beginning with Artemis V. This test series ensures the new engines will perform with the same reliability and robustness of their predecessors. "With the completion of this 12-test campaig

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 24, 2023
During a ceremony at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington on Wednesday, June 21, India became the 27th country to sign the Artemis Accords. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency and Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India's ambassador to the United States, signed on behalf of India. The Artemis Accords establish a practical set of principles to

Braunschweig, Germany (SPX) Jun 24, 2023
Astronomic observations indicate the existence of so-called "dark matter" which makes up more than 80% of all matter and, as far as we know, interacts with ordinary visible matter only via gravity. In particular, no proof for the interaction with photons (the elementary particles of which also light is composed), has yet been established - hence the term "dark" for this type of matter. It remain

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 24, 2023
For almost as long as it's been a concept, NASA has been on the cutting edge of virtual reality (VR) technology. However, the space has seen a renaissance since the bulky headsets of the 1990s. Several high-profile companies now use VR for immersive video games and virtual chat rooms, but to some, this technology has a use beyond entertainment. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern

After four intensive days of panels and sessions dedicated to professionals and trade visitors, starting today ESA/CNES pavilion will be hosting a variety of events dedicated to students and general public. 

Click the link here to view the full programme of events being held in the ESA-CNES shared area. The public days will take place from Friday to Sunday 23, 24 and 25 June.

ESA Impact 2023 – Quarter 2

Welcome to this edition of ESA Impact, an interactive publication covering stories and images from the second quarter of 2023.