Media session from ESA’s 316th Council in Sweden
Thursday, 29 June 2023 14:50Watch the replay of the media briefing following the 316th ESA Council which takes place on 28 and 29 June in Stockholm. ESA Council Chair Anna Rathsman (Sweden) and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher will share the outcome of the meeting and provide an update on the launch of new ESA Earth observation missions, upcoming astronaut missions, the Space Summit planned for 6-7 November 2023 in Sevilla (Spain), as well as the decision on the public release of official ESA documents.
Euclid space telescope to shed light on the darkness
Thursday, 29 June 2023 14:30On 1 July, the Euclid space telescope will start its journey into outer space on an important mission—to seek further clues about the origin of the universe. UZH researchers are involved in the scientific preparation and evaluation of the mission as part of a project led by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Shining stars, mysterious nebulae and faraway galaxies—images from space fire our imagination and spark fantasies about extraterrestrial life. But the visible matter known to researchers is actually only around 5% of the universe; 95% of the universe is a proverbial black box. Two invisible factors—called dark matter and dark energy—influence the arrangement of objects in space and the expansion of the universe.
Spacesuit design: Flavio Gentile
Thursday, 29 June 2023 13:58Euclid: Ready for launch
Thursday, 29 June 2023 13:45ESA’s Euclid space telescope is nearly ready for launch. The spacecraft arrived in Florida on 30 April for final tests and checks, and now being integrated with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will carry it into space.
For the team at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, this means that the most intense phase of their work is about to begin. To prepare themselves, the team has simulated the launch operations, tackling issues ranging from team members falling ill to a computer mouse being taped over.
Euclid is ESA’s space telescope designed to explore the
The long history and bright future of space sample deliveries
Thursday, 29 June 2023 13:30When NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft releases a capsule with material from asteroid Bennu onto the Utah desert on Sept. 24, it will become the latest in a line of missions to gather samples from space and deliver them to Earth. Collecting material from space is a challenging feat that requires teams of dedicated scientists and engineers, innovative technology, and patience. But the scientific breakthroughs these samples unlock make the effort worthwhile as we attempt to understand the origins of our planet and the life that thrives here.
China looks to build new space partnerships with Egypt satellite project
Thursday, 29 June 2023 13:10China has delivered a set of satellites to Egypt as part of a program to develop the latter country's capacity to assemble, integrate and test satellites.
Developing future space experiment platforms for astrobiology and astrochemistry
Thursday, 29 June 2023 12:43Air Force awards Raytheon $625 million contract for nuclear-hardened satcom terminals
Thursday, 29 June 2023 12:06After long wait, Virgin Galactic begins commercial spaceflights
Thursday, 29 June 2023 10:41Virgin Galactic is set Thursday to finally begin commercial spaceflights, a major milestone for the company founded in 2004 by British billionaire Richard Branson. Its first paying customers are a three-member crew from the Italian Air Force and National Research Council of Italy, with a fourth seat occupied by a Virgin Galactic astronaut instructor. Dubbed Galactic 01, the 90-minute mis
SpaceX Dragon to return to Earth with experiments, samples from ISS
Thursday, 29 June 2023 10:41A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is set to depart from the International Space Station Thursday to deliver NASA experiments and samples dating back as far as six years. The spacecraft is scheduled to depart from the ISS's Harmony module at about 12:05 p.m EDT Thursday under the command of ground controllers in Hawthorne, Calif. NASA will provide live coverage of the Dragon's depa
Astronomers reveal evidence of universe's 'background hum'
Thursday, 29 June 2023 10:41Astronomers across the world announced on Thursday that they have found the first evidence of a long-theorised form of gravitational waves that create a "background hum" rumbling throughout the universe. The breakthrough - made by hundreds of scientists using radio telescopes in North America, Europe, China, India and Australia after years of work - was hailed as a major milestone that ope
Europe's space telescope to target universe's dark mysteries
Thursday, 29 June 2023 10:41Europe's Euclid space telescope is scheduled to blast off Saturday on the first-ever mission aiming to shed light on two of the universe's greatest mysteries: dark energy and dark matter. The launch is planned from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 11:11 am local time (1511 GMT) on a Falcon 9 rocket of the US company SpaceX. The European Space Agency was forced to turn to the rival firm of bi
'Godfather of AI' urges governments to stop machine takeover
Thursday, 29 June 2023 10:41Geoffrey Hinton, one of the so-called godfathers of artificial intelligence, urged governments on Wednesday to step in and make sure that machines do not take control of society. Hinton made headlines in May when he announced that he quit Google after a decade of work to speak more freely on the dangers of AI, shortly after the release of ChatGPT captured the imagination of the world. Th
Maxar and Esri Expand Partnership to Visualize Precision3D in ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World
Thursday, 29 June 2023 10:41Maxar Technologies, a leading provider of comprehensive space solutions and secure, precise geospatial intelligence, has recently declared that its Precision3D data will be made available for visualization in Esri's ArcGIS Online Living Atlas of the World. Esri, recognized worldwide for its pivotal role in location intelligence, will embed Maxar's Precision3D Digital Surface Model, Digital
Students to solve exploration challenges with ESA
Thursday, 29 June 2023 10:30An exciting initiative based at ESA’s facility in the UK will give student researchers the opportunity to quickly investigate key challenges associated with space exploration.