Looking back on 2024 and launching into 2025

We are very excited to have started really building the first scientific payloads for the new Lunar Gateway Station – to understand our deep space environment and to help us to start exploring from Moon to Mars and beyond. ERSA (European Radiation Sensor Array) is the external radiation measuring suite outside the PPE part of Gateway and IDA (Internal Dosimetry Array), its counterpart inside HALO.

Nadine Michaela Boersma, ESA System Engineer for Payload Development

One of the greatest achievements of ESA’s Young Professionals in 2024 was the successful launch of YPSat aboard Ariane 6’s maiden flight. This mission showcased what young talent can accomplish through collaboration and determination. In 2025, I look forward to supporting the next chapter as a new team prepares for YPSat-2, demonstrating the ambition of ESA’s Young Professionals.

Tuur Strobbe, ESA Graduate Trainee

2024 has been a pivotal year for the Galileo programme, amongst others, with the successful upgrade of Galileo to System Build 2.0. This upgrade represents a major leap in the evolution of Galileo, aiming to enhance the system’s accuracy, reliability and robustness for users worldwide. Key aspects of the upgrade included:
- Introducing next-generation signal capabilities to improve service quality.
- Enhancing cybersecurity measures to protect the integrity of satellite navigation services.
- Optimising system resilience to ensure operational continuity even in challenging environments.
Achieving these milestones required a collaborative effort involving multiple ESA teams, industrial partners and international stakeholders, showcasing the synergy and innovation that ESA embodies.
Looking forward to 2025, I am excited to see these enhancements come to fruition as they begin to benefit global users. Additionally, I anticipate further progress on the remaining phases of the Galileo system roadmap, which promises to cement ESA’s position at the forefront of satellite navigation technology.

Sven Richter, ESA Galileo Ground Segment AIV Engineer

2024 saw the genesis of Genesis in the FutureNAV Programme in ESA, the contract with the industrial consortium led by OHB Italia having been signed in March. Thanks to a great team effort between ESA and industry a successful System Requirements Review, in close coordination with the international scientific community, followed in October, consolidating a solid basis for the design and development work that will take place in 2025!

Sara Gidlund, Head of the Genesis Project

My team’s greatest achievement in 2024 was the seamless and successful upgrade of the Galileo Ground Segment in March, followed by the first demonstration of the PRS Full Operational Capabilities to Galileo stakeholders. Looking ahead to 2025, we are excited for the first deployment of the G2G Galileo Ground Segment to the Galileo Control Centres, enabling the inaugural End-to-End System Compatibility Test Campaign with the G2G satellites, and the operational launch of a major upgrade in Galileo’s Security Monitoring capabilities.

Sonia Toribio Fernandez, Head of the Galileo GS Management Office

2024 has been a year of great achievement for ESA's Space Transportation (STS) team:
- First launch of A6: Accomplished
- Final launch of Vega: Accomplished
- Return to flight of Vega-C: Accomplished
I am extremely proud to be part of the development team of one of ESA's most ambitious projects, Space Rider, which will provide Europe with an affordable, autonomous, reusable end-to-end integrated space transportation system, facilitating routine access and return from space. I am the Ground Segment Manager of this ambitious project and this year the Ground Segment team has successfully closed the first System Validation test campaign and the Ground Segment Implementation review, thanks to perfect coordination between ESA and the industrial partner’s team. It is a pleasure and an honour to represent ESA Space Transportation at international conferences such as SpaceOps, where in 2024, during the workshop in Toulouse, we gave an insightful presentation on the Space Rider operational concept including landing and post landing operations.
2025 will still be very challenging with the start of Landing site activities and preparing the Ground Segment for the next System Validation campaign. I can’t wait to start another year with this fantastic team!

Cinzia Cossu, Space Rider Ground Segment Manager

My greatest achievement in 2024 was the incredible work we accomplished together with my team in Connectivity and Secure Communications. Together we tackled ambitious projects and collaborated with industry and, on a personal note, I was entrusted with presenting the keynote on the future digital Ground Segment during the ARTES final presentations’ day in front of industry representatives from ESA Member States. It was a year of growth, innovation and a lot of travel - from London and Bremen to Brussels and Venice - but the real success was seeing how our collective efforts drove meaningful progress in the Ground Segment field.
Looking ahead for 2025, I will be starting my rotation from ESTEC and satcom to the Ф-lab at ESRIN, collaborating with the expert team and researchers for artificial intelligence aboard Earth observation missions. Here’s to another year of inspiration and impact!

Sanna Sandberg, Junior Professional GS Engineering, Cloud & AI Solutions

Another big achievement for our climate team this year has been soliciting proposals and selecting six projects to carry out research using Earth observation to monitor and better predict climate tipping elements. We received a strong response to the call for proposals, thanks to the deep community consultation we had previously held. This consultation was conducted through a forum and workshop in collaboration with climate research networks (World Climate Research Project, Future Earth and the International Space Science Institute), which are documented in a Springer Special Issue.

Climate and Longterm Action Division

Over the summer, we worked with the Ф-lab and Frontier Development Lab Europe to develop machine learning algorithms to create 3D cloud maps from satellite imagery. Our research team was super international and interdisciplinary, spanning experts in clouds and climate, remote sensing and machine learning. I really enjoyed working together so collaboratively. Although the programme was just eight weeks long, we achieved incredible results by working together closely.

Anna Jungbluth, Internal Research Fellow

I am really proud of the achievements of all teams in the Science Operations Development Division in 2024. We successfully passed critical milestone reviews for the development of science operations centres on all ESA's future science missions. By combining ESA's technical and scientific expertise with academia's advanced algorithms and industry's technological know-how, we have made significant progress.
On a personal note, in 2024 I was deeply moved by the large number of applications we received for various positions in the Science Operations Development Division. It is humbling to witness how many outstanding professionals are inspired by our science missions and wish to join ESA. It is a privilege to contribute to missions that resonate with so many individuals who, regardless of their career paths, are true scientists at heart.
I am full of energy and ideas for 2025! We will continue the preparations of the science operations centres for missions in development and study, while initiating the implementation of a framework for the reusability of technological solutions across missions and partners. This will increase efficiency, foster interoperability and facilitate the adoption and deployment of new technological solutions that can benefit all our science missions.
A big thanks to my teams for an incredible 2024, and to all our industrial and academic partners for the great collaboration!

Catarina Alves de Oliveira, Head of Science Operations Development Division

My team’s greatest achievement for 2024 was to launch the first activities of the ESA Academy Engagement pillar, in particular the Academic Scholarship Programme facilitating access to space-related Master’s programmes in Europe by covering the tuition fee.
For 2025, I am looking forward to further developing collaborations within ESA and externally with academia, space industry and institutions to contribute together to preparing future talents in terms of knowledge, skills and competences through joint opportunities for tertiary education students from ESA Member and Associate States.

Natacha Callens, ESA Academy Engagement Administrator

Among the Galileo team’s greatest achievements of 2024 was successfully launching four Galileo satellites on a Falcon 9 as part of two launch campaigns in Florida. This marked a significant milestone for the Galileo family, especially as we adapted to flying on a non-European launcher. It was a proud moment for the entire team. In 2025, we eagerly look forward to returning to European launch capability with Ariane 6. Making Galileos fly again is our mission, and we’re excited for what’s ahead!

Paula Mireia Mas Mas, ESA Galileo Launcher Interface Manager

The launch of ESA YPSat aboard the inaugural flight of Ariane 6 was a major highlight of 2024. Having been part of the YPSat project since the beginning, it was a privilege to be part of the Mission Analysis team on launch day in the Main Control Room at ESOC. Seeing the beautiful images of Earth that YPSat sent back was incredibly rewarding.

Felix Abel, ESA GNSS Technology R&D engineer

2024 was a transformative year for me as a first-year ESA Graduate Trainee (EGT) at the European Space Agency (ESA), filled with growth and learning. Collaborating with international colleagues who are experts in their fields has not only driven me to push myself further but also ignited a passion within me to make a meaningful impact.
A standout achievement this year as part of ESA Education was co-organising the first Climate Detectives Celebration Event 2024 for the Climate Detectives school project. The event brought together nearly 100 students from 17 countries at ESRIN, the ESA Centre for Earth Observation, in Italy. I found it incredibly rewarding to witness these young minds engage with Earth observation experts, present their projects and collaborate on innovative climate solutions using satellite data.
A recurring highlight for me throughout the year has been inspiring and empowering teachers through ESA Education’s Teacher Training Workshops, where we integrate space as a theme to spark students’ interest in STEM education. One teacher commented, “My tomorrow also depends on these young people, so I share the knowledge I gain during training and workshops with my students.” Informing and inspiring the next generation gives me hope for a better future - for them and for all of us.

Anisha Iyer, ESA Graduate Trainee