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ESA’s Highlights in 2025
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By NASA
What does the future of space exploration look like? At the 2025 FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston, NASA gave student robotics teams and industry leaders a first-hand look—complete with lunar rovers, robotic arms, and real conversations about shaping the next era of discovery.
Students and mentors experience NASA exhibits at the 2025 FIRST Robotics World Championship at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston from April 16-18. NASA/Sumer Loggins NASA engaged directly with the Artemis Generation, connecting with more than 55,000 students and 75,000 parents and mentors. Through interactive exhibits and discussions, students explored the agency’s robotic technologies, learned about STEM career paths and internships, and gained insight into NASA’s bold vision for the future. Many expressed interest in internships—and dreams of one day contributing to NASA’s missions to explore the unknown for the benefit of all humanity.
Multiple NASA centers participated in the event, including Johnson Space Center in Houston; Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Kennedy Space Center in Florida; Langley Research Center in Virginia; Ames Research Center in California; Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans; Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; and the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in West Virginia. Each brought unique technologies and expertise to the exhibit floor.
FIRST Robotics attendees explore NASA’s exhibit and learn about the agency’s mission during the event.NASA/Robert Markowitz Displays highlighted key innovations such as:
Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems: A modular system of small robots and smart algorithms that can autonomously assemble large-scale structures in space. Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration: A team of small lunar rovers designed to operate independently, navigating and making decisions together without human input. Lightweight Surface Manipulation System AutoNomy Capabilities Development for Surface Operations and Construction: A robotic arm system built for lunar construction tasks, developed through NASA’s Early Career Initiative. Space Exploration Vehicle: A pressurized rover prototype built for human exploration of planetary surfaces, offering attendees a look at how future astronauts may one day travel across the Moon or Mars. Mars Perseverance Rover: An exhibit detailing the rover’s mission to search for ancient microbial life and collect samples for future return to Earth. In-Situ Resource Utilization Pilot Excavator: A lunar bulldozer-dump truck hybrid designed to mine and transport regolith, supporting long-term exploration through the Artemis campaign. Visitors view NASA’s Space Exploration Vehicle on display.NASA/Robert Markowitz “These demonstrations help students see themselves in NASA’s mission and the next frontier of lunar exploration,” said Johnson Public Affairs Specialist Andrew Knotts. “They can picture their future as part of the team shaping how we live and work in space.”
Since the FIRST Championship relocated to Houston in 2017, NASA has mentored more than 250 robotics teams annually, supporting elementary through high school students. The agency continued that tradition for this year’s event, and celebrated the fusion of science, engineering, and creativity that defines both robotics and space exploration.
NASA’s booth draws crowds at FIRST Robotics 2025 with hands-on exhibits. NASA/Robert Markowitz Local students also had the chance to learn about the Texas High School Aerospace Scholars program, which offers Texas high school juniors hands-on experience designing space missions and solving engineering challenges—an early gateway into NASA’s world of exploration.
As the competition came to a close, students and mentors were already looking ahead to the next season—energized by new ideas, strengthened friendships, and dreams of future missions.
NASA volunteers at the FIRST Robotics World Championship on April 17, 2025. NASA/Robert Markowitz “It was a true privilege to represent NASA to so many inspiring students, educators, and mentors,” said Jeanette Snyder, aerospace systems engineer for Gateway. “Not too long ago, I was a robotics student myself, and I still use skills I developed through FIRST Robotics in my work as a NASA engineer. Seeing so much excitement around engineering and technology makes me optimistic for the future of space exploration. I can’t wait to see these students become the next generation of NASA engineers and world changers.”
With the enthusiastic support of volunteers, mentors, sponsors, and industry leaders, and NASA’s continued commitment to STEM outreach, the future of exploration is in bold, capable hands.
See the full event come to life in the panorama videos below.
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:00:00 ESA’s state-of-the-art Biomass satellite launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket lifted off on 29 April 2025 at 11:15 CEST (06:15 local time).
In orbit, this latest Earth Explorer mission will provide vital insights into the health and dynamics of the world’s forests, revealing how they are changing over time and, critically, enhancing our understanding of their role in the global carbon cycle. It is the first satellite to carry a fully polarimetric P-band synthetic aperture radar for interferometric imaging. Thanks to the long wavelength of P-band, around 70 cm, the radar signal can slice through the whole forest layer to measure the ‘biomass’, meaning the woody trunks, branches and stems, which is where trees store most of their carbon.
Vega-C is the evolution of the Vega family of rockets and delivers increased performance, greater payload volume and improved competitiveness.
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By European Space Agency
Week in images: 21-25 April 2025
Discover our week through the lens
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By NASA
Explore This Section Earth Earth Observer Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam More Archives Conference Schedules Style Guide 2 min read
2025 EGU Hyperwall Schedule
EGU General Assembly, April 27 – May 2, 2025
Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth #204) for Hyperwall Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Hyperwall Agenda below.
MONDAY, APRIL 28
10:15 – 10:30 AM —— PACE —— Ivona Cetinic 3:45 – 4:00 PM —— Science Explorer (SciX): Accelerating the Discovery of NASA Science —— Mike Kurtz 4:00 – 4:15 PM —— Juno’s Extended Vision in its Extended Mission —— Glenn Orton 6:05 – 6:20 PM —— Getting the Big Picture with Global Precipitation —— George Huffman 6:20 – 6:35 PM —— Exploring Europa with Europa Clipper —— Jonathan Lunine TUESDAY, APRIL 29
10:15 – 10:30 AM —— Science Explorer (SciX): Accelerating the Discovery of NASA Science —— Jennifer Lynn Bartlett 10:30 – 10:45 AM —— From ESTO to PACE, A CubeSat’s Journey to Space —— Brent McBride 12:30 – 2:00 PM —— Ask Me Anything with NASA Scientists —— Informal Office Hours 3:45 – 4:00 PM —— Exoplanets (Virtual) —— Jonathan H. Jiang 4:00 – 4:15 PM —— Scattering of Realistic Hydrometeors for Precipitation Remote Sensing ——Kwo-Sen Kuo 6:05 – 6:20 PM —— Space Weather Center of Excellence CLEAR: All-CLEAR SEP Forecast —— Lulu Zhao WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30
10:15 – 10:30 AM —— SPEXone on PACE: First year in Orbit —— Otto Hasekamp 12:30 – 2:00 PM —— Ask Me Anything with NASA Scientists —— Informal Office Hours 3:45 – 4:00 PM —— Science Explorer (SciX): Accelerating the Discovery of NASA Science —— Jennifer Lynn Bartlett 4:00 – 4:15 PM —— Scattering of Realistic Hydrometeors for Precipitation Remote Sensing ——Kwo-Sen Kuo 6:05 – 6:20 PM —— Ship Tracks Tell the Story of Climate Forcing by Aerosols through Clouds —Tianle Yuan 6:20 – 6:35 PM —— The Excitement of Mars Exploration —— Jonathan Lunine 6:35 – 6:50 PM —— Using NASA Earth Observations for Disaster Response —— Kristen Okorn THURSDAY, MAY 1
10:15 – 10:30 AM —— Getting the Big Picture with Global Precipitation —— George Huffman 3:45 – 4:00 PM —— PACE —— Morgaine McKibben 4:00 – 4:15 PM —— Using AI to Model Global Clouds Better Than Current GCRMs —— Tianle Yuan 6:05 – 6:20 PM —— Science Explorer (SciX): Accelerating the Discovery of NASA Science —— Mike Kurtz Share
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Last Updated Apr 24, 2025 Related Terms
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:06:15 English
From 7 to 11 April, ESA's Centre for Earth Observation in Frascati, ESRIN, hosted the 2025 edition of ESA School Days, welcoming almost 1400 young students.
The event kicked off with primary school students (4th and 5th grades) visiting during the first three days, followed by secondary school students on the final two days.
Throughout the week, 35 schools from across Italy engaged in presentations and laboratories, delving into the diverse space activities conducted at ESA’s establishment.
This initiative, which included contributions from ESERO Italia and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), aims to inspire and engage the next generation of STEM students by sharing knowledge about space and the European Space Agency.
Italian
Dal 7 all'11 aprile, ESRIN, il Centro per l'Osservazione della Terra dell'ESA a Frascati, ha ospitato l'edizione 2025 degli ESA School Days, accogliendo quasi1 400 giovani studenti. L'evento ha preso il via con la visita degli studenti delle scuole primarie (classi quarte e quinte) durante i primi tre giorni, seguiti dagli studenti delle scuole secondarie nei due giorni finali.
Per tutta la settimana, 35 scuole da tutta Italia si sono cimentate in presentazioni e laboratori, approfondendo la loro conoscenza delle diverse attività spaziali condotte presso lo stabilimento dell'ESA.
L'iniziativa, che ha visto il contributo di ESERO Italia e dell'Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), mira a ispirare e coinvolgere la prossima generazione di studenti STEM condividendo le conoscenze sullo spazio e sull'Agenzia Spaziale Europea.
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