European Space Agency News
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Official ESA news feed with updates on European space missions, satellites, launchers, and technology programs.
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News•Feb 26, 2026
World-First Gigabit-per-Second Laser Link Between Aircraft and Geostationary Satellite
European Space Agency, Airbus Defence and Space, TNO and TESAT have demonstrated the world’s first gigabit‑per‑second laser link between a moving aircraft and a geostationary satellite. During test flights over Nîmes, the UltraAir optical terminal maintained an error‑free 2.6 Gbps connection to Alphasat TDP‑1 for several minutes. The achievement proves that high‑speed, secure optical links can be sustained despite aircraft motion, clouds and atmospheric turbulence. It marks a milestone for Europe’s ScyLight program and the broader push toward optical satellite communications.
By European Space Agency News
Video•Feb 21, 2026
Meet ESA Astronaut Sophie Adenot | Εpsilon Mission
The video profiles ESA astronaut candidate Sophie Adenot, who has been assigned to the agency’s upcoming εpsilon mission. Born in Burgundy, France, Adenot narrates how a childhood fascination with adventure and exploration evolved into a concrete goal of reaching space. Adenot...
By European Space Agency News
News•Feb 20, 2026
Smile Sets Sail for Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana
The ESA‑China SMILE spacecraft has completed its Atlantic crossing and arrived at Kourou’s Europe’s Spaceport, ready for integration with a Vega‑C launcher. A launch window from 8 April to 7 May 2026 has been set, targeting a comprehensive study of Earth’s response...
By European Space Agency News
News•Feb 19, 2026
Webb Maps Uranus's Mysterious Upper Atmosphere
An international team led by Paola Tiranti used JWST’s NIRSpec to produce the first three‑dimensional map of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, extending to 5,000 km above the cloud tops. The observations reveal temperature peaks of about 426 K between 3,000 and 4,000 km and...
By European Space Agency News
Video•Feb 18, 2026
When It's Been Your Dream Since Childhood 👩🚀🚀✨
European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot becomes the first member of the Hoppers class to launch to the International Space Station. She named her nine‑month expedition εpsilon, marking a personal milestone and a first for her cohort. On the ISS,...
By European Space Agency News
Video•Feb 18, 2026
Moving Space Debris Out of the Way with OMLET
The European Space Agency’s OMLET (Orbit Maintenance via Laser Momentum Transfer) project tackles the growing risk of space debris by proposing a ground‑based high‑power laser system that nudges objects in low Earth orbit onto safer trajectories. The initiative, led by...
By European Space Agency News
News•Feb 17, 2026
River Deltas Are Sinking Faster than the Sea Is Rising
New research using a decade of Copernicus Sentinel‑1 radar data shows that many of the world’s major river deltas are sinking faster than global sea‑level rise. More than half of the 40 deltas examined are subsiding at rates above 3 mm...
By European Space Agency News
Video•Feb 14, 2026
Crew-12 Arrives at the International Space Station | Εpsilon Mission
The video captures SpaceX’s Crew‑12 Dragon capsule’s final approach and docking with the International Space Station, broadcast from Houston’s “big loop” mission control. Controllers announce soft‑capture completion, followed by a seamless hard‑dock, confirming the commercial crew vehicle’s reliable performance. The footage...
By European Space Agency News