Follow us!
Feedburner
Focus on growing threat of space debris
The continuing growth in space debris poses an increasing threat to economically vital orbital regions. Next week, hundreds of top experts from across the globe will meet at Europe’s largest-ever debris forum to share their latest research findings and discuss… Continue reading
Astrium wins ESA contracts to design Ariane 6 and continue development of Ariane 5 ME
EADS
- The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed prime contractor agreements worth €108 million with Astrium
- These contracts enable the start of the Ariane 6 programme, the ongoing development of Ariane 5 ME (Midlife Evolution), and the search for synergies… Continue reading
ESA workhorse to power NASA?s Orion spacecraft
ESA agreed with NASA today to contribute a driving force to the Orion spacecraft planned for launch in 2017. Ultimately, Orion will carry astronauts further into space than ever before using a module based on Europe?s Automated Transfer Vehicle technology.… Continue reading
Polish flag raised at ESA
The Council meeting at Ministerial level this week sees the Polish flag flying for the first time alongside those of ESA’s other Member States after Poland formally became ESA’s 20th Member State on 19 November. Poland exchanged Accession Agreements on… Continue reading
Hypergravity helping aircraft fly further
ESA research has helped to develop an aircraft-grade alloy that is twice as light as conventional nickel superalloys while offering equally good properties. The path to creating this alloy required research under all types of gravity. Airlines are always looking… Continue reading
ESA Science Programme’s new small satellite will study super-Earths
Studying planets around other stars will be the focus of the new small Science Programme mission, Cheops, ESA announced today. Its launch is expected in 2017. Cheops – for CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite – will target nearby, bright stars already known… Continue reading
ATV-3 set for overnight undocking
ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle Edoardo Amaldi is set to undock from the International Space Station tonight at 22:35 GMT (00:35 CEST). Mission controllers will steer ATV-3 during 28 hours of free flight, ending with a controlled destructive reentry during the… Continue reading
Europe’s second polar-orbiting weather satellite is aloft
The second Metop satellite was launched today from the Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, atop a Russian Soyuz launcher. Metop-B will ensure the continuity of the weather and atmospheric monitoring service provided by its predecessor Metop-A, which has been circling the… Continue reading
Fourth Galileo satellite reaches French Guiana launch site
The next two Galileo satellites are now in place at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, being prepared for their shared launch this autumn. The fourth Galileo satellite flight model arrived at Cayenne Airport in French Guiana on Friday 17 August,… Continue reading
ESA contracts Astrium UK to build Solar Orbiter
ESA has awarded the contract to build its next-generation Sun explorer to Astrium UK. Solar Orbiter will investigate how the Sun creates and controls the heliosphere, the extended atmosphere of the Sun. Prof. Alvaro Giménez Cañete, ESA Director of Science… Continue reading
Designing the interplanetary web
Reliable Internet access on the Moon, near Mars or for astronauts on a space station? How about controlling a planetary rover from a spacecraft in deep space? These are just some of the pioneering technologies that ESA is working on… Continue reading
Astrium awarded European Space Agency (ESA) contract to continue development of the Ariane 5 ME
- Worth €112 million, this contract will enable the design of the Ariane 5 ME’s new sub-systems
- Ariane 5 ME will decrease by 20% costs per kilo carried, thanks to performance earnings of 20% for the same price as the A5… Continue reading