The European Space Agency (ESA) has inaugurated the European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), the first ESA presence in Switzerland, created in close collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). The new centre is located at the Switzerland Innovation Park Innovaare in Villigen. The opening highlights the growing role of deep tech in space exploration and its potential to boost Europe's growth and competitiveness.

The performance of a lower limb prosthesis has been evaluated in microgravity conditions for the first time during the latest ESA parabolic flight campaign on the ‘Zero G’ aircraft.

ESA and UN harness space data for sustainable development

When ESA’s Space Rider launches for its inaugural flight, it will carry more than scientific experiments. It will carry the bold vision of ESA’s emerging generation. Developed entirely by young professionals across the Agency, YPSat-2 is the latest mission of the Young Professionals Satellite Programme. On board is the payload Angiology in Microgravity (AIM), an innovative experiment that dives into the critical field of space medicine, studying blood flow dynamics in microgravity and its potential risks to astronaut health. From conception to construction, AIM is not only science in action, but also a hands-on mission integrating

2025 marks a landmark year for Europe’s ‘bridge between Earth and space’. The European Space Agency’s Estrack satellite tracking network turns 50 – and with it, its deep space antenna in Cebreros, Spain, celebrates 20 years of connecting Earth to the agency’s most distant missions.

Fittingly, this celebration of technological excellence coincides with the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II and the 50th anniversary of the ESA. To honour this convergence of milestones, ESA and the Vienna Tourist Board are orchestrating a unique mission: broadcasting The Blue Danube Waltz to its destined home among the stars.

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