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From its vantage point outside Earth’s atmosphere, more than 36 000 km above Earth’s surface, the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission will detect major air pollutants over Europe in unprecedented detail. It will observe how they vary on an hourly basis – a real breakthrough for air quality forecasting.
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An animation showing ESA’s Smile mission watching on as the Sun’s solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic field.
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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission has captured a dramatic image of Mount Etna erupting on 2 June 2025 when a massive plume of ash, gas and rock suddenly burst from Europe’s largest active volcano.
Japanese lunar exploration company ispace will attempt to land its RESILIENCE spacecraft on the Moon no earlier than 5 June (CEST) 2025.
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) global network of ground stations is facilitating communication between the spacecraft and ispace mission control.
Click here to watch the ispace landing livestream in English.
Over a decade’s worth of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope data was used to re-examine the long-held prediction that the Milky Way galaxy will collide with the Andromeda galaxy in about 4.5 billion years. The astronomers found that, based on the latest observational data from Hubble and Gaia, there is only a 50-50 chance of the two galaxies colliding within the next 10 billion years.
Week in images: 26-30 May 2025
Discover our week through the lens
The deadline to apply for ESA’s Junior Professional Programme (JPP) is fast approaching, with applications closing on 5 June. The JPP is a unique opportunity for recent graduates and early-career professionals to gain hands-on experience at one of the world’s leading space organisations. Successful candidates will work on real ESA projects alongside experienced experts in fields ranging from engineering and science to business and administration. If you are ready to take the first step towards a future in space, don’t miss this opportunity. Submit your application before the 5 June deadline.
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The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission shows us a rare, cloud-free view of Iceland captured on 17 May 2025.
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For half a century, the European Space Agency (ESA) has been serving Europe as its space agency and inspiring its citizens. On 30 May 1975, the ESA Convention was signed by 10 founding Member States and has since now expanded to 23 Member States, three Associate Members, four Cooperating States and a Cooperation Agreement with Canada. This anniversary year provides the opportunity to reflect not only on ESA’s past achievements, but even more so on its future perspectives.
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2025 marks a landmark year for Europe’s ‘bridge between Earth and space’. The European Space Agency’s Estrack satellite tracking network turns 50.
Since its inception in 1975, Estrack – ESA’s global network of ground stations – has formed the vital communication bridge between satellites in orbit and mission control at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.
Now comprising six stations spanning six countries, Estrack has grown into a strategic asset for Europe, enabling communication with spacecraft, transmitting commands and receiving scientific data.
The network keeps an eye on satellites no matter their location: tracking them across Earth orbit, voyaging to comets or asteroids, keeping station at the scientifically important Sun-Earth Lagrange points, and deep into our Solar System. It even keeps tabs on European launchers as they soar into orbit, ensuring no rocket is ever out of reach.
Fittingly, this celebration of technological excellence coincides with the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II and the 50th anniversary of 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.
Don’t miss the live concert of the Wiener Symphoniker (Vienna Symphony Orchestra) on Saturday, 31 May. The event will start at 20:30 CEST and the transmission from ESA’s Cebreros antenna will occur at 21:30 CEST.
The live stream can be followed via space.wien.info and the Vienna Instagram channel.
Waltzing celebration for half a century of European satellite tracking
The next time astronauts land on the Moon, we will watch it in high-definition. The transmission will be in colour, digital and at up to 60 frames per second.
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.