European Space Agency

(IN BRIEF) Arianespace will launch EUMETSAT’s Metop-SGA1 satellite on August 12, 2025, via Ariane 6 from Kourou, marking the second commercial mission for Europe’s new heavy-lift launcher. Metop-SGA1, the first in a new generation of European polar-orbiting weather satellites, will … Read the full press release →

IN BRIEF) GKN Aerospace and ArianeGroup have signed a Frame Contract for Ariane 6’s operational phase, ensuring GKN will supply LH₂ and LOX turbines for both Vulcain 2.1 and Vinci engines, plus the Vulcain 2.1 nozzle extension. Produced in Sweden … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) Cimolai Technology has implemented Siemens’ Designcenter NX and Teamcenter solutions from the Xcelerator portfolio to enhance its design and production of custom lifting and handling machinery. Partnering with ATS Global, the Italian company connected its PLM and ERP … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) The EIB and the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) have partnered to enhance the use of satellite data in the financial sector, aiming to improve financial services’ sustainability and reporting. Through an R&D Pilot Programme, the collaboration will explore … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) Thales Alenia Space has been chosen by the European Space Agency to lead the SaveCrops4EU project, part of ESA’s Digital Twin Earth programme. The initiative will leverage advanced Earth observation and data processing techniques to create a digital … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania has contracted Sweco for €448,000 to evaluate environmental risks for a proposed deep geological repository intended for the final disposal of long-lived radioactive waste. As a vital part of Ignalina’s decommissioning … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) Sener has been chosen by the European Space Agency to develop several key systems for the Rosalind Franklin rover, part of the ExoMars mission scheduled for launch in 2028. The company will design and manufacture the separation systems … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) The Biomass satellite, developed by Airbus for the European Space Agency (ESA), has departed Toulouse for its journey to French Guiana. This Earth Explorer mission will use advanced radar technology to map global forest biomass and support climate … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) Vodafone has been chosen by Oxfordshire County Council to deploy and manage a 5G Standalone (5G SA) mobile private network (MPN) at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. The new network will provide cutting-edge wireless connectivity for research … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) Thales Alenia Space has secured an €862 million contract with the European Space Agency to develop the Lunar Descent Element for the Argonaut mission, aimed at enabling European autonomous access to the Moon. Planned for the 2030s, Argonaut … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) The European Space Agency (ESA) is funding a feasibility study led by SatVu and the University of Glasgow to develop the Heat Loss Index (HLI), a new metric aimed at improving the analysis of building energy efficiency. This … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) Thales Alenia Space’s Sentinel-1C satellite successfully launched aboard a Vega C rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, enhancing the Copernicus Earth Observation Programme. Joining its predecessor, Sentinel-1A, the satellite delivers high-resolution radar imagery for environmental monitoring, disaster response, and … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has launched the Health Tech Business Incubation Centre (Health BIC) at STFC Daresbury Laboratory, backed by £1.8 million from the Life Sciences Innovation Zone Programme. Designed to support health and life sciences … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) Thales Alenia Space has signed a contract with OHB to develop two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments for ESA’s Harmony mission, part of the Earth Explorer program. The Harmony mission, expected to launch in 2029, will consist of … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) The Hera planetary defense mission, launched successfully aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, aims to assess the feasibility of deflecting hazardous asteroids threatening Earth. This mission follows NASA’s DART mission, which tested asteroid deflection by impacting the Dimorphos … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) On September 5, 2024, the European Space Agency successfully launched the Sentinel-2C satellite from Kourou, French Guiana, aboard a Vega rocket. This marks the third satellite in the Sentinel-2 constellation, part of the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation program. … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) A groundbreaking study led by an international team, including SAMS, has mapped plant life across Antarctica, revealing nearly 45 square kilometers of vegetation. This discovery, published in Nature Geoscience, will inform conservation efforts and challenge perceptions of Antarctica … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) Polish ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański will fly to the ISS on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), alongside astronauts from India and Hungary. This mission, supported by ESA and the Polish government, aims to conduct significant scientific and technological … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) The European Space Agency (ESA) has developed 3D printed bricks, called ESA Space Bricks, using 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite dust, inspired by LEGO bricks. These bricks are part of a project to explore using space materials for building astronaut … Read the full press release →

(IN BRIEF) Airbus has been chosen by the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the design and construction of the Vigil satellite, marking the inaugural operational mission in ESA’s Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Space Safety Programme (S2P). Vigil aims to … Read the full press release →