Category: News

Europe now has a dozen navigation satellites in orbit

ESA’s CryoSat mission has provided the best maps yet of the changing height of Earth’s largest ice sheets

Replay of the launch transmission of Soyuz carrying Galileo satellites 11 and 12 on 17 December at 11:51 GMT from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana

Replay of liftoff of Soyuz carrying Galileo satellites 11 and 12, at 11:51 GMT, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana

The next great space observatory took a step closer this week when ESA signed the contract with Arianespace that will see the James Webb Space Telescope launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou in October 2018.

Euclid, ESA’s dark Universe mission, has passed its preliminary design review, providing confidence that the spacecraft and its payload can be built. It’s time to start ‘cutting metal’.

See the launch of Galileo satellites 11 and 12 on Thursday 17 December. Streaming starts at 11:31 GMT (12:31 CET)

ESA astronaut Tim Peake, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and Russian cosmonaut commander Yuri Malenchenko arrived at the International Space Station today, six hours after their launch at 11:03 GMT.

Galileos 11 and 12 are on the launch pad, attached to the top of their Soyuz rocket in readiness for this week’s launch.

Human spaceflight and operations image of the week: Principia launch pictured from just 113 m away

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ESA has ensured the continuation of the Sentinel-1 Earth observation satellite series for Europe’s Copernicus environmental programme by ordering two more satellites.

The €400 million contract was signed today with Thales Alenia Space of Italy to build Sentinel-1C and -1D.

Replay: ESA astronaut Tim Peake, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and commander Yuri Malenchenko heading to the International Space Station