Posts Tagged ‘ESA’
Farewell LISA – Space Observatory Pathfinder put to sleep
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) pathfinder mission has come to an end via the final commanding of the spacecraft. The 16 month mission, has provided the tools…
BepiColombo shaken and stacked ahead Mercury mission
Set for launch next year, the BepiColombo spacecraft is coming to the end of its test phase ahead of being shipped to Kourou, French Guiana in readiness to begin…
Sentinels monitor sinking San Francisco skyscraper for case study
The European Space Agency’s fleet of Sentinel satellites are busy checking into urban ground movements, using San Fransico as a case study. Their findings reveal the city’s Millennium…
NASA creates working group to get Orion ESM back on schedule
NASA is continuing to work towards the historic maiden launch of the Space Launch System (SLS), with the rocket still on schedule to make a 2018 debut. However, the…
Soyuz ST-A launches with Sentinel-1B at fourth attempt
Russia’s Soyuz ST-A rocket has launched with the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1B spacecraft and four small satellites, following three delays – two relating to unacceptable weather for both…
Russian Rokot launches Sentinel-3A
A Russian Rokot launch vehicle – with a Briz-KM Upper Stage – has launched the Sentinel-3A spacecraft for the European Space Agency (ESA) on Tuesday. The launch took…
NASA to begin testing Orion’s European Service Module
NASA is nearly ready to begin testing of a core component of the Orion spacecraft. A structural test version of the European Service Module has arrived in the…
Italian veteran Paolo Nespoli to return to the ISS
The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced Paolo Nespoli is to return to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017. The veteran Italian astronaut will be making his…
Plum Brook prepped for EM-1 Orion Service Module testing
Testing of Orion’s Service Module will be conducted at NASA Glenn’s Plum Brook Station this year in preparation for Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1). The Service Module is being…
Philae awakes from comet slumber ready to return to work
European scientists have confirmed their brave little lander Philae has managed to regain communications with its Rosetta mothership. The lander had been in hibernation after its sporty landing…
IXV’s Pride: Europe’s spaceplane homecoming prelude to future goals
ESA’s Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV) is now enjoying the final leg of her mission, onboard the Nos Aries recovery ship. The vehicle – part of ESA’s future spaceplane aspirations…
Vega rocket launches IXV spaceplane – Mission Complete
The European Space Agency is flying a reentry demonstration mission Wednesday with its Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV). Boosted by Europe’s lightweight Vega rocket, the IXV flew a suborbital…
Europe’s spaceplane on a trajectory for February launch
ESA’s Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane is finally into its final processing flow towards launch, following the loading of propellants and work to encapsulate the vehicle inside its payload…
Philae wins battle to send key data ahead battery depletion
ESA’s Philae lander battled against the odds on Friday, transmitting key scientific data before its batteries were depleted. Due to the unplanned location – following a couple of…
Rosetta’s Philae completes historic comet landing
ESA’s Rosetta – and her companion spacecraft – Philae – parted ways on Wednesday, ahead of a historic landing on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Philae conducted the journey…
Europe’s ATV-5 completes docking swansong with the ISS
The European Space Agency (ESA) ATV-5 has completed her final ever docking to the International Space Station (ISS). The “Georges Lemaître” is conducting an essential cargo run to…
Rosetta completes amazing journey to Comet 67P
The European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft Rosetta – and her robotic lander companion Philae – have completed an amazing 10 year journey to arrive in orbit around Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta…
ESA’s experimental space plane gearing up for November debut
The European Space Agency (ESA) Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) is enjoying a stay in Holland ahead of being shipped to Kourou, French Guiana to meet up with her Vega launch…
NEEMO returns with two new underwater missions
Two new missions under the NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) program have been announced, returning an international crew to an underwater base off the coast of Florida….
Atlas V to launch Europe’s next-generation sun explorer in 2017
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V has been selected as the rocket of choice by NASA’s Launch Service Program to loft a next-generation sun explorer called Solar Orbiter. The first…
