ESA title
Enabling & Support

Discovery and Preparation

Discovery and Preparation

Rocketing ESA into the future

About us Participating in Discovery & Preparation activities Activities currently running The Nebula Library How we enable ESA missions

Our initiatives

The Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP) Ariadna SysNova Advanced Concepts Team

Latest

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Extended reality lab for Mars experiments (Mars Xlab)
Enabling & Support

Robotic Exploration

Nebula study of the month: Extended reality lab for Mars experiments (Mars Xlab)

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Enabling & Support

Implemented OSIP ideas — 2025

Space ideas
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Enabling & Support

Discovery & Preparation 'in focus' — brochure

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Enabling & Support

OSIP Open Discovery Ideas Channel – all you need to know

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Sustainable thin-film space solar cells
Enabling & Support

Alternative microfabrication processes for resource-efficie…

04/12/2025 83 views 3 likes
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Story
The Moon over ESA's Cebreros deep space antenna
Enabling & Support

An Internet for the Solar System

01/12/2025 422 views 9 likes
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Story
Enabling & Support

The new Discovery and Preparation podcast showcases innovat…

01/12/2025 819 views 32 likes
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Moon imaged by Pleiades satellite
Enabling & Support

ESA Prepares to explore the Moon with small missions

21/11/2025 778 views 11 likes
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Story
The CleanCube challenge teams attended a workshop at ESTEC
Enabling & Support

ESA works to make CubeSats Zero Debris

17/11/2025 412 views 8 likes
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Enabling & Support

OSIP Open Discovery Ideas Channel – all you need to know

25/09/2025 451 views 8 likes
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Enabling & Support

Mars aerocapture drag modulation

11/12/2023 235 views 2 likes
Mars aerocapture drag modulation
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Enabling & Support

The Open Space Innovation Platform

29/11/2023 1682 views 16 likes
The Open Space Innovation Platform
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Applications

Remote sensing of plastic marine litter

28/11/2023 839 views 6 likes
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Enabling & Support

Lunar solar power satellite

14/07/2023 10947 views 156 likes
Lunar solar power satellite
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Enabling & Support

Farming on the Moon

22/02/2023 15423 views 207 likes
Farming on the Moon
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More items
  • Enabling & Support

    Model-based system engineering

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  • Enabling & Support

    Propulsion: lift-off, orbit adjustments and travelling through space

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    Artist's impression of Venus Express orbit insertion
  • Enabling & Support

    Deep space communication and navigation

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    Deep space communication and navigation
  • Enabling & Support

    Monitoring Earth's surface

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    Sentinel-1 radar modes
  • Enabling & Support

    Living on another world

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    Living on another world
  • Enabling & Support

    Earth's climate and atmosphere

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    The Earth's atmosphere seen from space
  • Enabling & Support

    Asteroids, comets and moons

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    Visiting asteroids, comets and moons
  • Enabling & Support

    Clean and eco-friendly space

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    Debris objects - mostly debris - in low Earth orbit (LEO) - view over the equator
  • Enabling & Support

    Space technology for life on Earth

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    SAT-AIS artists impression
  • Enabling & Support

    Living in space

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    Lunar base made with 3D printing
  • Enabling & Support

    CubeSats

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    Infographic about CubeSats
  • Enabling & Support

    Artificial intelligence in space

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    RAT rover by night
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    Enabling & Support

    Constructing, recycling and refurbishing satellites in space

    16/04/2024 2115 views 0 likes
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Explore

Focus on
Open Space Innovation Platform
Enabling & Support

Open Space Innovation Platform

Sourcing novel ideas to invest in unconventional activities

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Focus on
Enabling & Support

Concurrent Design Facility

Designing future space missions

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Focus on
Inflatable Moon base
Enabling & Support

Activities Portal

Information on ongoing ESA-funded activities

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Focus on
The Witch's Broom Nebula within the Veil Nebula
Enabling & Support

Nebula Library

Results of completed ESA-funded activities

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Success stories

Hera Mission Clean Space initiative Proba Missions

Open Space Innovation Platform

What is OSIP? Implemented ideas Cooperative Agreements

In focus

Model-based system engineering Propulsion: lift-off, orbit adjustments and travelling through space Deep space communication and navigation Monitoring Earth's surface Living on another world Earth's climate and atmosphere Asteroids, comets and moons Clean and eco-friendly space Space technology for life on Earth Living in space CubeSats Artificial intelligence in space