Copernical Team
Smile: cleanroom to space
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Smile successfully launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 19 May 2026.
This timelapse captures the excitement and precision of launch operations as the spacecraft begins its journey to study the connection between the Sun and Earth.
Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is an international space science mission designed to investigate how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere. By observing these dynamic processes from space, Smile will help scientists better understand space weather and its effects on our planet's magnetic environment.
Webb sniffs methane from interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
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Webb's MIRI image of the interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS in three different light wavelengths Space science for your heart
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Space science for your heart ESA and EDF strengthen their partnership for energy efficiency at Europe’s Spaceport
Week in images: 25-29 May 2026
Week in images: 25-29 May 2026
Discover our week through the lens
This Month at ESA: May 2026
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What did space deliver for Europe this month? From asteroid flybys to Mars landing tests, new discoveries from Webb and Hubble, and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot capturing shooting stars from orbit, here’s your monthly roundup from the European Space Agency.
This month also saw ESA team up with DON’T NOD for Aphelion, a sci-fi adventure inspired by real space science and exploration.
Journey to the centre of a galaxy cluster
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Journey to the centre of a galaxy cluster Wolves and quantum bits: creating the Saga mission patch
The Secure and cryptographic (Saga) mission is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) initiative to enable highly secure cryptographic key distribution from space using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). As cyber threats continue to evolve, the technologies developed and demonstrated under Saga are designed to strengthen Europe’s digital resilience and strategic autonomy by supporting highly secure communications.
Earth from Space: Batagaika Crater
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This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image features the Batagaika Crater in Siberia. This is the biggest permafrost crater in the world, caused by melting permafrost and also known as a ‘mega-slump’. 
