Copernical Team
From drone flight to sounding rocket
A drone carrying an unusual payload recently took to the skies above ESTEC, the European Space Agency’s technical centre in the Netherlands, marking the first test flight of a student-developed radar retroreflector technology.
SMOS salinity could offer early indicator of El Niño
As the Pacific Ocean moves into an El Niño phase, scientists are monitoring changes in sea-surface temperature, but also sea-surface salinity – which is another key indicator of this phenomenon.
Measurements from satellites such as the European Space Agency's SMOS mission are revealing how freshwater and salt patterns shift across the Pacific as this year’s El Niño develops – offering a potential new pathway for early detection.
Earth and Proba-3’s Coronagraph play hide and seek
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Earth and Proba-3’s Coronagraph play hide and seek Liftoff as Ariane 6 takes flight for the first time
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Liftoff as Ariane 6 takes flight for the first time How Sentinel-1 measured movement of Venezuela quakes
More than one month on from the catastrophic twin earthquakes in northern Venezuela on 24 June 2026, satellite data show the ground displacement was greater than first estimated.
France’s postal service, La Poste, honours Ariane 6
To mark Europe’s newest generation heavy‑lift launcher, La Poste, France’s national postal service, has issued a collector set of eight stamps featuring Ariane 6, paying tribute to Europe’s ambitious space programme.
Vertical liftoff as Ariane 6 takes flight for the first time
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Vertical liftoff as Ariane 6 takes flight for the first time Fires rage near Bordeaux, France
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These images by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, captured on 26 July, show the area to the west of Bordeaux, France, where wildfires continue to burn countryside, fanned by wind and heatwave conditions. Wildfires near Cebreros ground station, Spain
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This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 26 July, shows a zoomed-in view over ESA's Cebreros ground station, which lies within the areas heavily affected by the wildfires in Spain. Raging wildfires near Madrid, Spain
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Raging wildfires near Madrid, Spain