ESA spends over 5 billion euros annually on procurement, relying on robust, high precision engineering as well as innovative ideas for its space missions, where the quality of ESA suppliers is paramount. ESA recently presented three space companies with prestigious awards for excellence and innovation.

Today, during the 75th International Astronautical Congress taking place in Milan, Italy, ESA signed the extension of contracts with Argotec and Thales Alenia Space Italia (TASI) for the production of the second batch of IRIDE satellites – a future Earth observation constellation designed to monitor environmental changes and support critical services in Italy.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has provided a dramatic and colourful close-up look at one of the most boisterous stars in our galaxy, weaving a huge spiral pattern among the stars. Hubble's images capturing its details and its evolution are featured by a unique timelapse video.