ESA
The European Space Agency (ESA) has also been described as 'Europe's gateway to space'. With 22 European countries pooling their resources to ESA, the agency's objective is to develop Europe's space capability whilst ensuring this investment also benefits those on Earth. ESA's programme includes human spaceflight, and the launch and maintenance of unmanned spacecraft to other planets/moons. ESA is highly influential with regards to space science, technology, telecommunication, and provides invaluable data via observing the Earth from above.

JWST: The new Cartwheel Galaxy image shows us how stars are born

The latest stunning image released by the James Webb Telescope reveals the inner workings of the rare ring galaxy in unprecedented detail.
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Could bringing back samples of Martian rock contaminate the Earth with foreign microbes?

NASA and ESA plan to bring back samples or rock, soil and air from the Red Planet within the next two decades.
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’Tsunami-like’ starquakes discovered in the most detailed survey of the Milky Way ever

The European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft’s latest data dump has revealed a treasure trove of insights about our home galaxy.
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Exoplanet shaped like a rugby ball spotted by Cheops telescope

The discovery could help to shed light on the internal structure of planets.
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Scientists pinpoint where on the Sun hazardous solar particles come from

The high-energy particles that come from the Sun could pose a radiation risk to astronauts and people travelling in planes.
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Here's how YOU can apply to become one of ESA's newest astronauts

The European Space Agency is hiring a new class of astronauts. You could be one of them.
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Your space agency needs YOU: ESA astronaut applications are opening

The agency is will also launch the Parastronaut Feasibility Project for future astronauts with physical disabilities.
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ESA announces plans for space telescope to study exoplanet atmospheres

Ariel, which will launch in 2029, will focus on planets unlikely to host life as we know it.
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ESA and NASA unveil bold plans for the future of space exploration

The plans include landing the first woman on the Moon, establishing a space station in orbit around the Moon, and returning samples of Martian rock to Earth.
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'Campfires' captured in closest ever images of Sun

The images were captured last month by the Solar Orbiter, a probe designed and built in the UK.
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Unlocking the secrets of the early Solar System

Comets may hold the secret to life on Earth. That’s why scientists are designing a mission that will pay a visit to one of these enigmatic, icy travellers to take a closer look.
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Recreating space on Earth

Earth’s most extreme environments now host teams of astronauts who are experimenting with the tools, skills and protocols they’ll need to live on another planet.
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ExoMars mission delayed until 2022

The ExoMars mission was scheduled for launch in the summer, but due to a number of outstanding tests will now have to wait until at least 2022.
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Solar Orbiter launch: 'mission for a generation' satellite on its way to the Sun

The shuttle carrying the satellite launched into space in the early hours of Monday morning.
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What we'll discover on Earth's toxic twin

Scientists want to return to Venus, so they can try to find out why it morphed from a pleasant planet into a fiery and inhospitable hell hole.
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Star visible to naked eye reveals history of Milky Way Galaxy

The star, ν Indi, holds clues to the Milky Way's collision with the dwarf galaxy Gaia-Enceladus.
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CHEOPS, ESA's exoplanet-studying satellite, launched successfully

The CHEOPS mission seeks to examine planets orbiting bright stars relatively close to our Solar System.
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Proposed ESA 'satellite embracer' scoops up hazardous space debris

Other options for dealing with space debris include casting a net over objects or using a harpoon.
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How do you build a successful space mission?

When the European Space Agency launches a mission into space, Mark McCaughrean explains the hurdles they have to leap to finally get it off the ground.
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ESA’s Martian rover readies for launch

If all goes to plan, the European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin rover, currently being tested in Toulouse, France, will be the first to search for life on the Red Planet.
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How the Parker Solar Probe will 'touch the Sun'

We’ve visited Pluto and the outer reaches of the Solar System, and our rovers are trundling over the surface of Mars. Yet the Sun has remained stubbornly out of reach… until now.
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Who will be next to land on the Moon?

A few glimpses into the next national projects most likely to get to the Moon.
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10 future space missions to look forward to

The future of space travel is looking good, and there are plenty more space missions to get excited about in the near and distant future.
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How we discovered liquid water on Mars

Nearly 15 years after arriving at the Red Planet, ESA's Mars Express mission makes a breakthrough discovery.
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