Space debris report

ESA's 2019 Space Debris Environment Report is now online, providing the latest facts and figures on the space junk surrounding our planet

Merck tie-up

ESA and Merck today agreed to extend their cooperation in the areas of of innovation, digitalization and materials research

Now what?

Some day in the future, an asteroid might be detected heading toward our home planet. What on Earth happens next? Our new infographic highlights the international response process

Protecting our planet

Asteroid impact 2028: In a fictional dramatisation, ESA has been monitoring an asteroid en route to strike Earth, although a crucial piece of information - where it might hit - is not yet clear

Hypothetical impact

Follow ESA's first-ever live coverage of a hypothetical asteroid impact exercise from the international Planetary Defense Conference

Doing up the deep dish

ESA's 35-m deep space antenna in Malargüe, Argentina, has had a major refurbishment, getting it ready for the launch of Euclid in 2022 and able to transfer even greater quantities of 'space data'...

Flight dynamics – what?

Every spacecraft has a dedicated team of 'spacecraft navigators' – experts in flight dynamics who work with extraordinary precision to ensure it ends up in the right place. Click through to the image gallery to learn more...

Who's in control?

Down on Earth, teams of specialists control every move made by the spacecraft we send into space. Click through these images to explore some of the many control rooms located at ESA's operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany

11 steps to make a mission

Most European citizens assume, with good cause, that ESA missions take shape and fly to their destinations with little worry or bother, as if by magic. Click through these images to read the true story of how this ‘magic’ really occurs

Innovation at ESOC

The 7th European Ground System Architecture Workshop, 21-22 May, will showcase the newest and most innovative work being done in the area of mission control.

Latest News

Observing Gaia from Earth to improve its star maps02 May 2019

Observing Gaia from Earth to improve its star maps02 May 2019 While ESA’s Gaia mission has been surveying more than one billion stars from space, astronomers have been regularly monitoring the satellite’s position in the sky with telescopes across the world, including the European Southern Observatory in Chile,...

The day the asteroid might hit26 April 2019

The day the asteroid might hit26 April 2019 For the first time, ESA will cover a major international asteroid impact exercise live via social media, highlighting the the actions that might be taken by scientists, space agencies and civil protection organisations.

ESA opening up to new ideas12 April 2019

ESA opening up to new ideas12 April 2019 ESA aims to harness a new resource for future space activities: ideas from European researchers, businesses and the general public. Through its new Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP), anyone is welcome to respond to space-related challenges.

Rocket break-up provides rare chance to test debris formation12 April 2019

Rocket break-up provides rare chance to test debris formation12 April 2019 The discarded ‘upper stage’ from a rocket launched almost ten years ago has recently crumbled to pieces.

BepiColombo is ready for its long cruise05 April 2019

BepiColombo is ready for its long cruise05 April 2019 Following a series of tests conducted in space over the past five months, the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission has successfully completed its near-Earth commissioning phase and is now ready for the operations that will take place during the cruise and, ev...

ESA's deep space satellite tracking station at New Norcia, Australia, routinely communicates with spacecraft at Mars or heading toward Mercury

Mars calling26 March 2019

Mars calling26 March 2019 An exciting new competition is giving citizens of planet Earth the opportunity to get their voices to Mars in the next phase of the ExoMars programme. The ExoMars rover and platform will launch to the Red Planet in 2020.

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