Image: This Copernicus Sentinel-3 image shows the wide-coverage of snowfall in the Alps, which hopefully bodes well for the coming year.

Year in images 2022

Our year through the lens: a selection of our favourite images for 2022

San Francisco (AFP) Dec 21, 2022
Elon Musk said Tuesday he would resign as chief executive of Twitter once he finds a replacement, in apparent response to a poll he launched that suggested users wanted him to step down. Musk has fully owned Twitter since October 27 and has repeatedly courted controversy as CEO, sacking half of its staff, readmitting far-right figures to the platform, suspending journalists and trying to cha

Moscow (AFP) Dec 20, 2022
The head of Russian space agency Roscosmos on Tuesday praised Russia-US cooperation at the International Space Station following a major coolant leak from a Soyuz crew capsule. "Say hello to the entire American team. They proved themselves to be very worthy in this situation and lent us a helping hand," Borisov said, speaking to the Russian crew on board the ISS. "But I hope we will manage o

Washington DC (UPI) Dec 20, 2021
The InSight Mars lander has sent what could be its final image to Earth as NASA expects the probe to stop transmitting. "My power's really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don't worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will - but I'll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me," the InSi

Kourou (AFP) Dec 21, 2022
The European light launcher rocket Vega-C was lost shortly after lift-off from French Guiana on Tuesday with two Airbus satellites on board, the company behind the launch said. The rocket had been trying to bring into orbit two Earth observation satellites built by Airbus, intended to join an existing network that captures high-quality images of any point on the globe several times a day.

A hackathon challenged aerospace students to develop a detailed digital system model for a robotic assistant for astronauts on the Moon, able to identify key areas of interest in advance of any humans landing, guide them to their habitat and even rescue any moonwalkers in distress. 

The winning team, from France’s Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, completed their task within just two weeks, using Model Based System Engineering to do so. This method involves creating digital models of space missions to manage their design, construction, test and operation – and has been highlighted by ESA Director General Josef

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 20, 2022
L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) and Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD) together announced the signing of a definitive agreement for L3Harris to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne for $58 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $4.7 billion, inclusive of net debt. This marks L3Harris' second acquisition announcement of 2022, demonstrating its continued focus on delivering crit

Enjoy ESA’s Impact over the last quarter!

Welcome to this edition of ESA Impact, an interactive publication covering stories and images from the fourth quarter of 2022.