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Ten highlight stories of 2008

With best wishes for 2009, here's a look back over just a few of the most interesting stories and highlights from ESA in 2008.

Lifting Columbus out of Shuttle payload bay

A great day for Europe!

The European Columbus laboratory has completed its voyage to the International Space Station. Columbus was officially attached to the right side of the Harmony module at 22:44 CET on Monday 11 February. Here is the story in pictures.

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Europe’s automated ship docks to the ISS

ESA PR 20-2008. ATV Jules Verne, the European Space Agency’s first resupply and reboost vehicle, has successfully performed a fully automated docking with the International Space Station (ISS).

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Encounter of a different kind: Rosetta observes asteroid at close quarters

ESA PR 37-2008. ESA's comet chaser, Rosetta, last night flew by a small body in the main asteroid belt, asteroid Steins, collecting a wealth of information about this rare type of minor Solar System body.

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Hans Schlegel took part in his first spacewalk

Applicants from all ESA Member States to become European astronauts

ESA began its search for new astronauts on 19 May, calling for applications from talented individuals who wish to join the European Astronaut Corps.

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ESA's most advanced navigation satellite launched

ESA PR 25-2008. A further step towards the deployment of Europe's Galileo global navigation satellite system was made with the launch of ESA's second Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element (GIOVE-B) satellite, carrying the most accurate atomic clock ever flown into space.

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Hubble finds first organic molecule on extrasolar planet

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has made the first detection ever of an organic molecule in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting another star. This breakthrough is an important step in eventually identifying signs of life on a planet outside our Solar System.

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New portrait of Earth shows land cover as never before

A new global portrait taken from space details Earth’s land cover with a resolution never before obtained.

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Czech flag raised over ESA

A historic event took place at ESA sites across Europe today - the flag of the Czech Republic was hoisted alongside those of ESA's other Member States, officially symbolising the country becoming ESA’s 18th Member State.

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ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level

European Ministers inject new impetus to ensure space’s role as a key asset in facing global challenges

ESA PR 47-2008. The Ministers in charge of space activities in the ESA's 18 Member States and Canada today concluded a successful two-day Council meeting in The Hague, agreeing to undertake new initiatives in several fields and endorsing the next phases of a set of ongoing programmes.

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Ariane 5 – Sixth and final launch of 2008

Yesterday evening, an Ariane 5 ECA launcher lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport at Kourou, in French Guiana, on its mission to place two multi-role telecommunications satellites into geostationary transfer orbits.

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Last update: 12 January 2009