Image: Gearing up for the Moon

Video: 00:03:21

Going to the Moon was the first step. Staying there is the next ambition.

ESA is a key partner in NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return people to the Moon by the end of the decade. Dozens of other international public and private missions are setting their sights on the lunar surface in the coming years.  

But to achieve a permanent and sustainable presence on the Moon, reliable and autonomous lunar communications and navigation services are required.

This is why ESA is working with its industrial partners on the Moonlight initiative, to become the first off-planet commercial

Edinburgh UK (SPX) Nov 04, 2022
Critical elements of a new instrument attached to the International Space Station (ISS) this summer, and designed to examine the chemical composition of atmospheric mineral dust, is powered by hardware from high-performance electronics company Alpha Data. Data gathered by the NASA instrument - called the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) - as the Space Station orbits E

Madrid, Spain (SPX) Nov 08, 2022
The Land Surface Temperature Monitoring (LSTM) programme led by Airbus has successfully passed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The approval of this milestone with ESA confirms that the satellite design is compliant with all mission requirements ensuring that mission objectives and user needs will be met. LSTM is part of the Copernicus programme established to fulfil the need among Eur

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Nov 08, 2022
New research uses NASA satellite observations and advanced computing to chronicle wetlands lost (and found) around the globe. From Lake Pontchartrain to the Texas border, Louisiana has lost enough wetlands since the mid-1950s to cover the entire state of Rhode Island. Using a first-of-its-kind model, NASA-funded researchers quantified those wetlands losses at nearly 21 square miles (54 squ

Adelaide, Australia (SPX) Nov 08, 2022
The University of South Australia is collaborating with American and British partners to launch a Global Executive MBA in Defence and Space, the first program of its kind in Australia. Leveraging the growth of two key sectors and the recent AUKUS strategic alliance, the MBA will address critical skills gaps in defence and space and help build a pipeline of talent across Australia, the Unit

Wright-Patterson AFB OH (SPX) Nov 08, 2022
The SpaceWERX Orbital Prime program awarded 124 Phase 1 contracts from June 15 to Sept. 22, 2022, each with a five-month term valued at $250,000. Orbital Prime, which is the first space effort under the SpaceWERX Prime line of business, intends to invigorate the In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing, or ISAM, market using Active Debris Remediation as a use case for the foundational tec