Tag: ESA
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Summit cites Paradigm Shift for European Spaceflight
The ESA-EU Space Summit at Seville/Spain on November 6/7 focused on the need to evolve the future of the European Space Agency (ESA) and European spaceflight in general. Europe’s space ambitions are moving into a “paradigm shift,” as noted by Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA, as Europe deals with a gap in capability between…
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Using Webb, scientists measure high-speed jet stream in Jupiter’s atmosphere
Scientists recently discovered a high-speed jet stream at Jupiter’s equator using the joint NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope. Webb’s images helped the team of scientists track fine details through the planet’s atmosphere, allowing them to measure these winds for the first time. The newly discovered jet stream will provide scientists with…
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NASA begins to chart path forward on its Mars Sample Return architecture following independent review
This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rocks and soil being collected from the Martian surface by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover.Credit: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech The next decade will be a critical time for the exploration of Mars with the multi-agency Mars Sample Return (MSR) being the…
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NASA begins to chart path forward on its Mars Sample Return architecture following independent review
This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rocks and soil being collected from the Martian surface by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover.Credit: NASA/ESA/JPL-Caltech The next decade will be a critical time for the exploration of Mars with the multi-agency Mars Sample Return (MSR) being the…
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Through international collaboration, scientists find cause of InSight’s most powerful Marsquake
An international team of scientists has found the cause of the largest Martian seismic event, or Marsquake, observed by NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) Mars lander. After ruling out a meteor impact, they concluded the event must have been caused by a release of stress within the planet’s crust.…
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Arianespace’s Vega launches 12 satellites on VV23 mission
Arianespace’s lightweight Vega rocket launched on its penultimate flight Sunday, carrying the THEOS-2 Earth-observation satellite for Thailand, Taiwan’s Triton (FORMOSAT-7R) weather satellite, and ten small satellites. Lifoff from the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana came after a scrub 48 hours previously. The launch was only Arianespace’s third mission of 2023. Following the retirement…
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Rideshare mission on deck for penultimate Vega rocket as Vega-C successor remains sidelined
Update 10 p.m. EDT (0200 UTC) Sunday: Vega lifted off at 9:36 p.m. EDT (0138 UTC) on Sunday after a two-day delay. The dozen spacecraft for the penultimate flight of an Arianespace Vega rocket prior encapsulation in the payload fairing. Image: Airbus Space A pair of Earth observation satellites along with ten auxiliary payloads will…
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Artemis II crew visits Bremen, as Germany signs the Artemis Accords
ESA and Airbus, in coordination with NASA, hosted an Artemis II media event at the Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany, on Friday, Sept. 15. In this event, the whole crew of Artemis II was present at the facility where Airbus assembles the Orion European Service Module (ESM). The ESM will provide life support and propulsion…
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Using Webb, scientists discover carbon dioxide and methane in habitable-zone exoplanet
Using the joint NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have discovered the presence of carbon-bearing molecules within the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18 b. Methane and carbon dioxide are among these carbon-bearing molecules. The discovery of the molecules is allowing scientists to better understand K2-18 b. The planet has been the subject…
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Solar Orbiter discovers plasma jets that could fuel the production of solar wind
Recently, the joint European Space Agency (ESA)/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft discovered an array of tiny jets of material being ejected from the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Ejecting plasma at 100 kilometers per second, the jets last for just 20 to 100 seconds, and could be the source of solar wind. Solar wind is made up of…