European Space Agency

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According to a new study, the world’s largest lakes are being hit by severe heatwaves six times as frequently as they were around two decades ago. Using data from ESA’s Climate Change Initiative, the study states that severe lake heatwaves are twice as likely to occur on average, compared to a pre-industrial climate. View the full article

Video: 00:12:24 Are you curious to know how a telescope works? Join ESA astronomer Giovanna Giardino as she gives an insight into the inner workings of the world’s largest telescope in space, the extraordinary James Webb Space Telescope. Find more episodes in the Meet the Experts series here. View the full article

Video: 00:01:00 The NIRSpec instrument is the workhorse near-infrared spectrograph on board the James Webb Space Telescope and is provided by ESA. NIRSpec will allow scientists to study objects embedded in shrouds of gas and dust, to find out more about how galaxies formed and evolved, and to characterise the atmospheres of exoplanet to determine if water is present. The primary goal of NIRSpec is to enable large spectroscopic surveys of astronomical objects like stars or distant galaxies. This is made possible by its powerful multi-object spectroscopy mode, which will make use of use of roughly a quarter of a million tiny configurable shutters, which are each comparable in size to the width of a human hair, to conduct simultaneous spectroscopic observations of multiple sources in a single exposure. In this mode, Webb will be able to obtain spectra of up to 200 targets simultaneously, making for very efficient use of Webb’s valuable observing time. NIRSpec will also offer integral-field and fixed-slit spectroscopy modes that will facilitate detailed studies of individual astronomical objects. Video about NIRSpec’s multi-object spectograph Video about the NIRSpec integral field units technology NIRSpec fact sheet More about Webb’s science instruments Credit: ESA/ATG medialab View the full article

The ESA YGT call for applications closes 28 February 2022. Don’t hesitate to apply and kick-start your career in space today! Positions are available in engineering, science, IT and business services. Find out more and apply now. View the full article

Video: 00:06:06 Join ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer on a 360° fly-through of Europe’s Columbus laboratory, Japan’s Kibo Module and the Crew Dragon capsule on the International Space Station. Matthias has been living and working on the International Space Station for around 100 days, following the launch of Crew-3 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 11 November 2021. He will spend approximately six months in orbit for his Cosmic Kiss mission. Much of this time is being spent inside the Columbus lab supporting European and international science. Columbus is ESA’s single largest contribution to the International Space Station and was also the first permanent European research facility in space. In this video you can see the different experiment racks in the module as he flies through, including NASA’s Veggie greenhouses omitting a pink light. Find out more about Matthias and his Cosmic Kiss mission on the ESA mission webpage. Access the other Cosmic Kiss 360º videos. View the full article

Image: ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst visited Thales Alenia Space in Turin recently to test out and provide feedback on accommodations for the next human outpost in space, the lunar Gateway. As the name implies, the Gateway will be located within the Moon’s orbit and is being built by Thales Alenia Space on behalf of ESA. Among its components is the International Habitation Module or I-Hab. As crew quarters are designed with humans in mind, Alex both toured the mock-up and stepped into the crew quarter simulator to provide some experienced feedback. After two missions to the International Space Station – Blue Dot (2014) and Horizons (2018) – totalling 362 days in space, Alex is no stranger to living in special conditions. Using virtual gear, Alex experienced an immersive environment representing the interior of I-Hab, as if he were present on the lunar Gateway in orbit around the Moon. What did he think? Overall, the feedback was positive. Alex provided some recommendations that will help Thales Alenia Space’s design team improve the next iterations. Alex and fellow ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano similarly assisted this process in 2021, but due to Covid-19 restrictions were only able to do so remotely. Involving astronauts in the module design process allows engineers to capitalise on the astronauts’ experience aboard the International Space Station. Their feedback will guide upcoming design phases, to support a user-centered approach. “Exciting to see and work on the future of lunar exploration,” said Alex. “The Gateway will be different to the International Space Station but an evolution of over two decades of living and working in low-Earth orbit. Next destination: lunar orbit.” I-Hab is a major part of the Gateway, and together with the communications and refuelling module ESPRIT and ESA’s service module for the lunar spacecraft Orion, Europe is proving to be a vital partner in the Artemis programme and humankind’s return to the Moon. More images are available on Alexander Gerst's Flickr page. View the full article

Image: ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst visited Thales Alenia Space in Turin recently to test out and provide feedback on accommodations for the next human outpost in space, the lunar Gateway. As the name implies, the Gateway will be located within the Moon’s orbit and is being built by Thales Alenia Space on behalf of ESA. Among its components is the International Habitation Module or I-Hab. As crew quarters are designed with humans in mind, Alex both toured the mock-up and stepped into the crew quarter simulator to provide some experienced feedback. After two missions to the International Space Station – Blue Dot (2014) and Horizons (2018) – totalling 362 days in space, Alex is no stranger to living in special conditions. Using virtual gear, Alex experienced an immersive environment representing the interior of I-Hab, as if he were present on the lunar Gateway in orbit around the Moon. What did he think? Overall, the feedback was positive. Alex provided some recommendations that will help Thales Alenia Space’s design team improve the next iterations. Alex and fellow ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano similarly assisted this process in 2021, but due to Covid-19 restrictions were only able to do so remotely. Involving astronauts in the module design process allows engineers to capitalise on the astronauts’ experience aboard the International Space Station. Their feedback will guide upcoming design phases, to support a user-centered approach. “Exciting to see and work on the future of lunar exploration,” said Alex. “The Gateway will be different to the International Space Station but an evolution of over two decades of living and working in low-Earth orbit. Next destination: lunar orbit.” I-Hab is a major part of the Gateway, and together with the communications and refuelling module ESPRIT and ESA’s service module for the lunar spacecraft Orion, Europe is proving to be a vital partner in the Artemis programme and humankind’s return to the Moon. View the full article

Week in images: 14 - 18 February 2022 Discover our week through the lens View the full article

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Tenerife – the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. View the full article

The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft has captured the largest solar prominence eruption ever observed in a single image together with the full solar disc. View the full article

Video: 00:04:40 English - 100 days of Cosmic Kis On 11 November 2021, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer was launched to the International Space Station for his first mission, Cosmic Kiss. Around 100 days later, we reflect on some highlights from space. Matthias flew to the Station on a SpaceX Crew Dragon alongside NASA astronauts and fellow first-time fliers Kayla Barron and Raja Chari, and NASA spaceflight veteran Tom Marshburn. Collectively known as Crew-3, they were welcomed as members of Expedition 66 by Commander Anton Shkaplerov, cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov and NASA’s Mark Vande Hei. While in orbit, Matthias is supporting over 35 European and many more international experiments. The outcomes of these experiments will advance our knowledge in areas ranging from human health to materials science, physics, Earth observation, technology development and more. Matthias is expected to spend approximately six months in orbit and there are many more highlights to come. Find out more about the science he’s supported to date in this 100 days of Cosmic Kiss science round-up. Access the related broadcast quality video material. German - 100 Tage Cosmic Kiss Am 11. November 2021 startete der ESA-Astronaut Matthias Maurer zu seiner ersten Mission "Cosmic Kiss" zur Internationalen Raumstation ISS. Rund 100 Tage später blicken wir auf einige Höhepunkte aus dem Weltall zurück. Matthias flog an Bord eines SpaceX Crew Dragon zusammen mit den NASA-Astronauten und Erstfliegern Kayla Barron und Raja Chari sowie dem NASA-Raumfahrtveteranen Tom Marshburn zur ISS. Gemeinsam als Crew-3 bekannt, wurden sie von Kommandant Anton Shkaplerov, Kosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov und NASA-Astronaut Mark Vande Hei als Mitglieder der Expedition 66 begrüßt. Im Orbit unterstützt Matthias über 35 europäische und viele weitere internationale Experimente. Die Ergebnisse dieser Experimente werden unser Wissen in den Bereichen Humanmedizin, Materialwissenschaft, Physik, Erdbeobachtung, Technologieentwicklung und mehr vorantreiben. Matthias wird voraussichtlich etwa sechs Monate in der Umlaufbahn verbringen, und es werden noch viele weitere Höhepunkte folgen. Bleibt dran und erfahrt mehr über seine Mission auf der Cosmic Kiss Missions-Webseite der ESA. View the full article

Video: 00:12:41 ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher speaks at the start of the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level, part of the Space Summit in Toulouse, on 16 February 2022. Watch the other Space Summit videos. View the full article

Video: 00:08:47 ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano presents the European Astronauts’ Manifesto during the Space Summit in Toulouse, on 16 February 2022. Watch the other Space Summit videos. View the full article

Video: 00:02:19 As part of Agenda 2025, ESA will take preparatory steps towards a sample return mission from the moons of giant planets, and will foster innovation by challenging commercial companies to develop a next generation of competitively priced European space transportation systems. Space science and planetary exploration have a unique inspirational power for engaging young generations in science, technology, engineering and maths, creating a highly educated workforce for the future. Collaborating with the European space industry to foster innovation generates economic growth and new revenues, as well as creating new jobs for European citizens. All the money invested in space is spent on Earth. View the full article

Press Release N° 4–2022 European leaders today confirmed their ambitious plans to work closely together to accelerate Europe as a world leader in space during a series of high-level meetings held in Toulouse, France. View the full article

European leaders will reaffirm plans to launch Europe on a world-leading trajectory during a high-level space summit being held on 16 February in Toulouse, France. Join us for live coverage on ESA Web TV, starting at 12:45 CET. View the full article

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The astonishing force of the Tonga volcanic eruption shocked the world, but the fact that this underwater volcano actually erupted came as less of a surprise to geoscientists using satellite data to study changes in the temperature deep below Earth’s surface. View the full article

Video: 00:05:15 Many of the experts that designed and oversaw the Galileo satnav system are now supporting cutting-edge European companies in the development of new navigation technologies and services. The result is ESA’s Navigation Innovation and Support Programme, NAVISP. NAVISP is looking into all kinds of clever ideas about the future of navigation: ways to improve satellite navigation, alternative positioning systems and, new navigation services and applications. Working in partnership with European industry and researchers, more than 200 NAVISP projects have been initiated so far. NAVISP is divided into three elements, the first looking into improving and expanding satellite navigation, as well as establishing novel ‘positioning, navigation and timing’ (PNT) services. NAVISP’s second element focuses on innovation for competitiveness, developing all kinds of new PNT products and services. Its third element covers support to Member State priorities, including support for national testbeds and programmes. View the full article

Video: 00:02:36 Tour the Italian-built Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) of the International Space Station in 360° with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer. Attached to Node 3, PMM is a large, reusable, pressurised element that was originally used to ferry cargo to and from the Station. It can hold up to 16 racks of equipment, experiments and supplies and has an end-cone with additional storage space for cargo bags, trash and other items. The only thing PMM has no room for is a fear of enclosed spaces. Watch as Matthias maneuvers between the boxes and bags in this vital module in orbit. Matthias is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station for his first mission, Cosmic Kiss. Find out more about Matthias and his ESA mission on the Cosmic Kiss mission webpage. Access the other Cosmic Kiss 360º videos. View the full article

The James Webb Space Telescope is nearing completion of the first phase of the months-long process of aligning the observatory’s primary mirror using the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument. View the full article

Image: Rare snowfall over Greece may be the new normal. For the second year in a row, Greece experienced unprecedented amounts of snow, blanketing the country in white. ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer took this bird’s eye view of the town of Chalcis, along the Euboean Gulf, from the International Space Station in early February. He posted to social media, noting, “In keeping with its national colours, wintry Greece presented itself in blue and white.” Storm Elpida swept across Greece and also parts of Turkey, causing mass disruption to the Mediterranean country known more for white-sand beaches and whitewashed homes than snow. While hard to deny the beauty of the white and blue landscape of this image, it is a grim reminder of the effects of climate change on the planet. Especially when compared to photos of wildfires in Greece in the summer of 2021, imaged by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet during his Alpha mission. Like satellites watching Earth from above, astronauts are also observers of a rapidly changing Earth. Photos taken by astronauts complement satellite data but also serve another vital role: climate advocacy to the general public. Matthias is doing important science on board the International Space Station for his Cosmic Kiss mission and is active on social media to share the benefits and the warnings. A pretty picture like this says a thousand words on how humans are interacting with and affecting our surroundings. We can be both in awe of the beauty and the reality of the situation. The question is: what will we do about it? Learn more about ESA’s Space for a Green Future Accelerator and how it will help Europe act to mitigate climate change. View the full article

Week in images: 7 - 11 February 2022 Discover our week through the lens View the full article

Ten years ago today, ESA opened a new era of independent access to space with the inaugural flight of its small launcher Vega. Flying from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, Vega has gone on to earn a reputation for precision and versatility in anticipation of a more capable version, Vega-C. View the full article