There is more gas in the Galaxy than is dreamt of by astronomers 11 June 2013 A survey from Herschel has revealed that the reservoir of molecular gas in the Milky Way is hugely underestimated - almost by one third - when it is traced with traditional methods. The discovery not only indicates that there is more raw material for the formation of new stars in the Galaxy, but also that it extends farther than astronomers knew. Read more

Euclid to probe dark Universe with Astrium science module 11 June 2013 The module carrying the telescope and scientific instruments of ESA's Euclid 'dark Universe' mission is now being developed by Astrium in Toulouse, France. Read more

Cassini sees precursors to aerosol 'snow' on Titan 05 June 2013 Scientists have confirmed the presence of PAHs - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - in the upper atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. After forming, PAHs grow into larger aggregates that drift down, eventually giving rise to aerosol particles in the haze layer that blankets Titan's surface. The study is based on data from the Cassini orbiter. Read more

#11: Gaia Flight Model Mass Properties Testing 17 June 2013 The Gaia Spacecraft Flight Model has successfully completed its mass properties test campaign. Read more

#10: Gaia Electromagnetic Compatibility Testing 31 May 2013 The Gaia Spacecraft Flight Model has successfully completed the electromagnetic compatibility test campaigns at the facilities of Intespace in Toulouse, France. Read more

No. 257 - End of the twenty-third eclipse season, end of the fourteenth Earth occultation season, continuation of the surface imaging campaign 12 June 2013 Report for the period 3 February to 2 March 2013. This reporting period covers four weeks of Venus Express operations, from 3 February to 2 March 2013. It includes the end of the twenty-third eclipse season, the end of the fourteenth Earth occultation season, and the continuation of the surface imaging campaign. Read more

No. 256 – Continuation of the fourteenth Earth occultation season, start of the twenty-third eclipse season, and start of surface imaging campaign 28 March 2013 This reporting period covers four weeks of Venus Express operations, from 6 January to 2 February 2013, and includes the continuation of the fourteenth occultation season, the start of the twenty-third eclipse season, and start of the Venus surface imaging campaign. Read more

Herschel Status Report - February 2013 27 March 2013 Report for period 5 to 27 February 2013
Mission operations of the Herschel space observatory continued nominally during the reporting period, with the spacecraft and subsystems all performing as expected. Read more

Herschel Status Report - December 2012 and January 2013 27 March 2013 Report for period 6 December 2012 to 4 February 2013
Mission operations of the Herschel space observatory continued nominally during the reporting period, with the spacecraft and subsystems all performing as expected. Read more

No. 158 - Spin-up and entry into deep-space hibernation 30 June 2011 This report covers nine days of Rosetta mission operations: 6 to 14 June 2011. The main activities were the spin-up of the spacecraft and entry into deep-space hibernation mode. The spacecraft will remain in this state until 20 January 2014 when the hibernation exit sequence will be initiated. The next Rosetta status report will be issued towards the end of January 2014. Read more