Group photo taken at the General Assembly on Defence, Space and Cybersecurity, held on Friday 12 September 2025, at ESRIN, ESA’s Centre for Earth Observation Programmes in Italy. 

The event was organised by the European Parliament and the European Commission, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, to promote dialogue between European and national decision-makers and industry leaders. Representatives from major European entities debated the future of the European Union, which is facing unprecedented challenges, in an increasingly complex geopolitical context. Participants examined Europe’s needs in key sectors such as space, cybersecurity, and defence, within the broader context of the

Cailabs, a French company that manufactures optical ground stations for satellite communications, has raised 57 million euros ($67 million) to scale up production.

Today, the Columbus laboratory aboard the International Space Station completes its 100 000th orbit around Earth—a remarkable achievement for Europe’s science module in space. 

Since its launch in 2008, Columbus has been a hub of research and innovation, orbiting at 28 800 km/h and approximately 400 km above Earth. Over the course of 6427 days, it has travelled more than 4.26 billion kilometres, hosted astronauts from over 20 countries, and supported hundreds of experiments that explore everything from human health to advanced materials.

In this week’s episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss is joined by SpaceNews senior writer Jeff Foust to break down the surprising appointment of Sean Duffy as NASA’s Acting Administrator.

The European Space Agency’s Plato spacecraft has safely arrived at ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands. There, engineers will complete the spacecraft by connecting its solar panels and sunshield, and carry out a series of critical tests to confirm that Plato is fit for launch and ready for its planet-hunting mission in space.