Copernical Team
Proba-3 mission advances with autonomous orbital alignment
Two ESA satellites have achieved a major milestone in their bid to fly in perfect unison, as part of the European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission. This week, the twin spacecraft succeeded in autonomously holding their formation while aligned with the Sun, remaining locked in position for several hours without input from ground control.
Inside the mission control center at ESA's European Spa NASA adds Starship to roster of launch vehicles under NLS II contract
NASA has formally expanded its Launch Services (NLS) II contract with SpaceX, headquartered in Starbase, Texas, to include the company's Starship launch system alongside the previously contracted Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
The NLS II contract framework enables NASA to procure commercial launch capabilities for a wide array of missions, including planetary exploration, Earth science How NASA's Perseverance is helping prepare astronauts for Mars
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Week in images: 24-28 March 2025
Week in images: 24-28 March 2025
Discover our week through the lens
Arnaud Prost | Sky, Sea, Space | ESA Explores #12
Video:
00:15:30
Meet Arnaud Prost—aerospace engineer, professional diver, and member of ESA’s Astronaut Reserve. From flying aircraft to getting a taste of spacewalk simulation, his passion for exploration knows no bounds.
In this miniseries, we take you on a journey through the ESA Astronaut Reserve, diving into the first part of their Astronaut Reserve Training (ART) at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) near Cologne, Germany. Our “ARTists” are immersing themselves in everything from ESA and the International Space Station programme to the European space industry and institutions. They’re gaining hands-on experience in technical skills like spacecraft systems and robotics, alongside
Get ready for a partial solar eclipse across Europe and parts of North America and Africa
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Gaia: Rewriting the story of the Milky Way
Video:
00:05:23
For over a decade, ESA’s Gaia mission has mapped our galaxy with stunning precision—rewriting the story of the Milky Way. As its mission enters a new phase, we look back at its most groundbreaking discoveries.
Gas injection setup in new fusion system is guided by public-private research
When the plasma inside a fusion system starts to misbehave, it needs to be quickly cooled to prevent damage to the device. Researchers at Commonwealth Fusion Systems believe the best bet is a massive gas injection: essentially, a well-timed, rapid blast of cooling gas inside their fusion system, which is known as SPARC. But how many gas valves does it take to quickly tame a plasma that is hotter Earth from Space: Waza National Park, Cameroon
Image:
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captures the striking landscape surrounding the Waza National Park in Cameroon. IRIDE first image presented at ESA–ESRIN
The first image from a new Italian Earth observation satellite mission was published today: a high-resolution image of a strip of the Italian peninsular showing the city of Rome at a resolution of 2.66 metres. This is three times higher than the resolution currently available for systematic acquisition over Italy.