Copernical Team
Week in images: 01-05 July 2024
Week in images: 01-05 July 2024
Discover our week through the lens
Europe’s Earth Return Orbiter reaches design maturity
ESA’s Earth Return Orbiter, the first spacecraft that will rendezvous and capture an object around another planet, passed a key milestone to bring the first Mars samples back to Earth.
Webb admires bejewelled ring
Image:
Webb admires bejewelled ring Earth from Space: Madeira
Image:
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captured a rare, cloud-free image over the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira in the North Atlantic Ocean. Ariane 6: Europe’s next big rocket in a nutshell
Video:
00:05:13
Ariane 6 is the newest rocket in a series that has, for five decades, been launching Europe towards the stars. Building on all the knowledge, expertise and technology developed over the years, Ariane 6 will be versatile, modular, and European.
Guaranteeing Europe’s access to space for the next years, Ariane 6 in two versions, with either two or four boosters attached depending on the ‘oomph’ the mission requires. Versatile, its upper stage can reignite multiple times during a single flight, placing any spacecraft into any orbit – including constellations – saving a final boost to return and burn
EarthCARE offers a sneak peek into Earth’s energy balance
Offering a foretaste of what’s to come once it is fully commissioned, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has returned the first images from its broadband radiometer instrument. These initial images offer a tantalising glimpse into the intricacies of our planet’s energy balance – a delicate balance that governs our climate.
Ariane 6 first flight timeline
Image:
Ariane 6 first flight timeline Ariane 6 launch: how to watch and what to look out for
Ariane 6 first passengers – with names
Image:
Ariane 6 first passengers – with names Laser upgrade for Mars rover
Image:
Laser upgrade for Mars rover 