ESA Science & Technology - News Archive
News archive
News archive
ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre, ESTEC, hosted more than 200 representatives of space industry at the spacecraft industry day (15 January 2014) for its Euclid mission. ESA and the Prime Contractor for Euclid, Thales Alenia Space, presented the mission, including its procurement plan and related business opportunities.
Published: 16 January 2014
On 20 January 2014, ESA's comet-chasing Rosetta spacecraft is set to wake up from 957 days in deep-space hibernation. A day-long event will be held at ESA's European Space Operations Centre to mark this momentous occasion. Follow the programme online.
Published: 15 January 2014
The planet Venus is blanketed by high-level clouds. At visible wavelengths, individual cloud features are difficult to see, but observations made by instruments on ESA's Venus Express orbiter have revealed many small-scale wave trains. Analysis shows that the waves are mostly found at high northern latitudes, particularly above Ishtar Terra, a...
Published: 13 January 2014
This new Hubble image shows the spiral galaxy Messier 83, otherwise known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy. One of the largest and closest barred spirals to us, this galaxy is dramatic and mysterious; it has hosted a large number of supernova explosions, and is thought to have a double nucleus lurking at its core.
Published: 9 January 2014
This new Hubble image is the best-ever view of a cosmic creepy-crawly known as the Tarantula Nebula, a region full of star clusters, glowing gas, and dark dust. Astronomers are exploring and mapping this nebula as part of the Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project, in a bid to try to understand its starry anatomy.
Published: 9 January 2014
ESA's billion-star surveyor Gaia is now in its operational orbit around a gravitationally stable virtual point in space called 'L2', 1.5 million km from Earth.
Published: 8 January 2014
Three-dimensional (3D) printers are transforming the business, medical, and consumer landscape by creating a vast variety of objects, including aeroplane parts, lamps, jewellery, and even artificial human bones.
Published: 7 January 2014
This image of Abell 2744 is the first to come from Hubble's Frontier Fields observing programme, which is using the magnifying power of enormous galaxy clusters to peer deep into the distant Universe. Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora's Cluster, is thought to have a very violent history, having formed from a cosmic pile-up of multiple galaxy clusters.
Published: 7 January 2014
Late this month, ESA's Mars Express will make the closest flyby yet of the Red Planet’s largest moon Phobos, skimming past at only 45 km above its surface.
Published: 23 December 2013
ESA's Gaia mission blasted off this morning on a Soyuz rocket from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on its exciting mission to study a billion suns.
Published: 19 December 2013
Find below an outline timeline for the launch of Gaia on 19 December 2013. See notes below table for details. All times subject to change. Follow launch live via ESA TV, starting 08:50 GMT (09:50 CET).
Published: 18 December 2013
ESA's Gaia mission to survey a billion stars is 'go' for launch. The satellite has passed its final checks and is ready to be launched tomorrow from Europe's spaceport in Kourou.
Published: 18 December 2013
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has observed the variable star RS Puppis over a period of five weeks, showing the star growing brighter and dimmer as it pulsates. These pulsations have created a stunning example of a phenomenon known as a light echo, where light appears to reverberate through the murky environment around the star.
Published: 17 December 2013
ESA's billion-star surveyor Gaia, less than a week from launch, is now tucked up inside the fairing that will protect it during the first few minutes of ascent into space.
Published: 13 December 2013
Using ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, a team of astronomers has found first evidence of a noble-gas based molecule in space. A compound of argon, the molecule was detected in the gaseous filaments of the Crab Nebula, one of the most famous supernova remnants in our Galaxy.
Published: 12 December 2013
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has discovered water vapour erupting from the frigid surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, in one or more localised plumes near its south pole.
Published: 12 December 2013
Think it's tough getting up in the morning when the alarm clock sounds? Imagine what it must be like waking up 673 million kilometres from the warmth of the Sun and with no coffee. You might need some help...
Published: 10 December 2013
Multilateral agreements for Euclid and Gaia have been signed at the Science Programme Committee meeting, held on 28 November 2013 at ESA Headquarters in Paris, France.
Published: 29 November 2013
The hot and energetic Universe and the search for elusive gravitational waves will be the focus of ESA's next two large science missions, it was announced today.
Published: 28 November 2013
A new study using ESA's Cluster mission has shown improved precision in determining the source of a radio emission produced by the Earth. The experiment involved tilting one of the four identical Cluster spacecraft to measure the electric field of this emission in three dimensions for the first time.
Published: 26 November 2013
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