Copernical Team
Asteroid 2024 YR4 will not impact the Moon
Last year, an approximately 60 metre near-Earth object captured global attention. For a brief period, asteroid 2024 YR4 became the most dangerous asteroid discovered in the last 20 years. While an Earth impact was soon ruled out, the asteroid faded from view with a lingering 4% chance of striking the Moon on 22 December 2032.
Now, that risk has been eliminated. Astronomers have confirmed that 2024 YR4 will not impact the Moon using new observations made by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.
Lunar Link antennas complete testing
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ESA's Lunar Link telecommunications antenna for the Gateway station during a testing campaign at prime contractor Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France ESA’s Mars orbiters watch solar superstorm hit the Red Planet
What happens when a solar superstorm hits Mars? Thanks to the European Space Agency’s Mars orbiters, we now know: glitching spacecraft and a supercharged upper atmosphere.
Follow the Celeste launch campaign
The first two satellites of ESA’s Celeste LEO-PNT demonstration mission are scheduled to lift off no earlier than 24 March, aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Māhia Launch Complex in New Zealand.
Counting craters
Craters, craters, and yet more craters: this snapshot from ESA’s Mars Express is packed full of them, each as fascinating as the last.
Hubble & Euclid zoom into cosmic eye
For this month’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month, NASA/ESA's Hubble Space Telescope is joined by ESA’s Euclid to create a new view of the most visually intricate remnants of a dying star: the Cat’s Eye Nebula, also known as NGC 6543.
Testing ozone-monitoring satellite’s solar wings
Over the past year, satellite engineers at Redwire Space in Belgium have been hard at work assembling European Space Agency’s ozone-monitoring satellite, ALTIUS. The team has now passed a major milestone: testing the deployment of the satellite’s two solar panels, a critical step in preparing it for life in orbit.
Antarctica retreat study signals future ice loss
The ice along Antarctica’s ‘grounding lines’ has been largely stable over the past 30 years – but ice has retreated by more than 40 km in some areas, a new study based on satellite data finds.
Self-repairing spacecraft could change future missions
ESA and GSMA Foundry launch new round of challenges for smoother connectivity
The European Space Agency (ESA) and GSMA Foundry have opened a call for ideas to provide up to €100 million in funding for projects improving the combined use of satellite and ground connectivity networks. The funding opportunity – provided by ESA Member States and announced during the 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain – will empower companies to bridge the digital divide.