Flying on the edge

Operations image of the week: remembering a remarkable mission this World Water Week — GOCE — the satellite that studied Earth's oceans from the edge of space

ESOC takes control

Operations image of the week: mission teams at ESA's operations centre in Germany take over control of Europe's wind mission, Aeolus, from the launch site in Kourou

Liftoff replay

Watch the replay of ESA’s Aeolus mission lifting off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana

Watch Aeolus launch

Follow the launch of Aeolus live from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on 22 August. Streaming begins at 21:00 GMT (23:00 CEST), with liftoff at 21:20 GMT (23:20 CEST)

Listening out for Aeolus

Operations image of the week: The newest member of ESA's network of ground stations, a 4.5 m-diameter antenna in Australia, is primed and ready to hear Aeolus' first words

A cautionary tail

Operations image of the week: comet Swift–Tuttle leaves in its wake a trail of cometary debris — the cause of the annual Perseids meteor showers and a reminder of Earth's vulnerable position in space

Deploy, decode, discover

Operations image of the week: in one image, the story of MARSIS — the instrument that revealed liquid water under Mars' surface, from difficulties in deployment to a remarkable discovery

Light in lunar darkness

Operations image of the week: Micrometeoroids the size of walnuts struck on 17 - 18 July 2018, producing two lunar flashes that momentarily lit up the ‘dark side’ of the Moon

A rare view from Mars

Operations image of the week: first successful image of a spacecraft orbiting Mars, taken by another — ESA's Mars Express as seen by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor

Solar power

Operations image of the week: a soft Tuscan sunset hints at the presence of the powerful Sun beneath the horizon, a star that can affect satellites in orbit and critical civil infrastructure on Earth

Latest News

Wind mission ready for next phase24 August 2018

Wind mission ready for next phase24 August 2018 Having worked around the clock since the launch of Aeolus on Wednesday, teams at ESA’s control centre in Germany have declared today that the critical first phase for Europe’s wind mission is complete.

ESA’s Aeolus wind satellite launched23 August 2018

ESA’s Aeolus wind satellite launched23 August 2018 ESA’s Earth Explorer Aeolus satellite has been launched into polar orbit on a Vega rocket. Using revolutionary laser technology, Aeolus will measure winds around the globe and play a key role in our quest to better understand the workings of our atmos...

Aeolus teams ready for space17 August 2018

Aeolus teams ready for space17 August 2018 The teams responsible for flying the Aeolus satellite completed a pre-launch ‘dress rehearsal’ at ESA’s ESOC operations centre in Darmstadt today, the last major step in getting ready for next Tuesday’s liftoff.

Aeolus — preparing to fly the wind mission 24 July 2018

Aeolus — preparing to fly the wind mission 24 July 2018 The launch of Aeolus — ESA’s mission to map Earth’s wind in real-time — is getting tantalisingly close, with the satellite due for lift-off on 21 August from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. With the wind in their sails, mission teams are...

Latest report on space junk06 July 2018

Latest report on space junk06 July 2018 ESA’s Annual Space Environment Report is full of facts, figures and tables that provide a detailed picture of how the space debris environment around Earth has evolved.

Combined orbital Galileo-GPS position fix achieved aboard ISS02 July 2018

Combined orbital Galileo-GPS position fix achieved aboard ISS02 July 2018 Europe’s satellite navigation system Galileo is already in use worldwide, usable by itself or in combination with the US Global Positioning System (GPS). Now a combined Galileo–GPS positioning fix has been achieved in space – aboard the International...

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