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Where's my spacecraft?

Operations image of the week: How not to lose a deep-space explorer? ESA uses a 'stellar' navigation technique relying on one of the Universe's most powerful energy sources

Beckoning Moon

Operations image of the week: The Moon seen rising over an antenna in the UK, soon to enter service as one of Europe's newest tracking stations to support missions to... the Moon

Cool running

Operations image of the week: New cryogenically cooled hardware promises to improve data return from ESA's current and future deep-space missions

Feeding a giant

ESA's deep-space antenna in New Norcia, Western Australia, has now been powered by solar energy for over a year, in the first step towards creating a green network of eyes on the skies

Keeping an eye on InSight

On Monday, ESA's majestic, 35-metre deep space antenna in Australia will contact NASA's InSight mission, currently preparing to touchdown on Mars

Deep space ambassadors

EU ambassadors to Australia were recently shown around ESA's New Norcia tracking station. Peering up from the Western Australian desert, two antennas have captured some of the Agency's most beloved missions

Manoeuvring to Mercury

Operations image of the week: Estrack engineers Lucy Santana and Daniel Firre in ESA's Main Control Room during the launch of the ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury — BepiColombo

Asteroid arrival

Operations image of the week: Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft arrived at asteroid Ryugu on 27 June, following a 42-month journey supported in part by ESA ground stations

Realtime space

This week, ESA experts are joining colleagues from across the spaceflight community for the biennial SpaceOps technical conference, focusing on the craft of mission control.

Goonhilly

Operations image of the week: A large radio dish at Goonhilly, UK, once used for TV broadcasts, will communicate with deep-space craft

Tinkerer’s lab

ESA’s mission control centre hosts a unique laboratory where engineers tinker with hardware and software to ensure these can support missions in space, where consequences matter.

Going green

Operations image of the week: ESA’s deep-space ground station at New Norcia, Western Australia, is now being powered in part by sunlight

Ghostly green

Operations image of the week: ESA’s deep-space dish in Australia sports a haunting green glow

Parting views

Cassini’s last look around Saturn’s neighbourhood before concluding its 13-year journey of discovery

Grand finale

How to follow the last hours of the Cassini–Huygens mission as the spacecraft plunges into Saturn's atmosphere

Hello, Darmstadt?

Watch our new video: 50 years of mission control in #Darmstadt #ESOC50

Latest News

ESA lends a hand at Mars23 November 2018

ESA lends a hand at Mars23 November 2018 The Red Planet will receive its first new resident in six years on Monday when NASA’s InSight lander touches down, aiming to investigate the Martian interior. ESA ground stations and orbiters are playing a crucial role in helping the mission get to it...

ESA ready for weather mission liftoff05 November 2018

ESA ready for weather mission liftoff05 November 2018 Following months of simulation training, teams at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre have completed the all-important ‘dress rehearsal’ before MetOp-C’s liftoff on 7 November from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Spacecraft Operations Manager Elsa Montagnon in the main control room at ESOC for the launch of BepiColombo, 20 October 2018

BepiColombo's beginning ends22 October 2018

BepiColombo's beginning ends22 October 2018 A stunning early morning launch lifted the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft into space on Saturday, 20 October. This marked the start of intensive, round-the-clock flight control activities to ensure the mission’s health and functioning in the harsh en...

BepiColombo blasts off to investigate Mercury’s mysteries20 October 2018

BepiColombo blasts off to investigate Mercury’s mysteries20 October 2018 The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury blasted off on an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou at 01:45:28 GMT on 20 October on its exciting mission to study the mysteries of the Solar System’s innermost planet.

Ten years catching rocket signals26 September 2018

Ten years catching rocket signals26 September 2018 As ESA celebrates the 100th launch of Ariane 5, the Agency’s worldwide ground station network is also marking ten years of providing vital tracking services to launchers soaring out of Kourou.

Image by Dylan O’Donnell, a keen amateur photographer from Byron Bay, highlighting ESA’s deep space tracking dish at New Norcia, in Western Australia, and Australia's famous red soil

ESA deep space stations ready for NASA’s InSight Mars flight04 May 2018

ESA deep space stations ready for NASA’s InSight Mars flight04 May 2018 NASA’s latest mission to Mars begins tomorrow. ESA deep space ground stations in Australia and South America will track the InSight spacecraft on NASA’s behalf as it begins its cruise to the Red Planet.

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