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Following almost 30 years of service, the European Space Agency’s ERS-2 satellite re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 18:17 CET on February 21. Launched in 1995 and with an original mission life of just three years,  ERS-2 set new standards for Earth observation, collecting valuable data on the ozone layer, ocean temperature, and mankind’s overall impact on the planet. In 2011, ESA decided to initiate the satellite’s deorbiting process amid concerns over the increasing amount of…

As soldiers and citizens provide information from the front lines and affected areas of the war in Ukraine – two years old as of February 24, 2024 – in quasi-real time, an active open-source intelligence community has formed to keep track of troop activity, destruction and other aspects of the war.Remote sensing complements this approach, offering a safe means to study inaccessible or dangerous areas. For example, seismologists have documented the high pace of bombardments and firing of artillery around Kyiv during the…

ESA’s ERS-2 satellite, launched in 1995, has concluded its mission by reentering Earth’s atmosphere over the North Pacific Ocean. (Artist’s concept of a satellite burning up in the atmosphere.) Credit: SciTechDaily.comMission complete. ESA’s second European Remote Sensing (ERS-2) satellite has reentered Earth’s atmosphere over the North Pacific Ocean. The satellite returned on February 21, 2024, at 18:17 CET (17:17 UTC) between Alaska and Hawaii.ERS-2 was launched almost 30 years ago, on April 21, 1995. Together with…

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen has treated the world to a mesmerizing timelapse video of the journey from space back to Earth. In a stunning timelapse video shared recently, viewers can see the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft gracefully undocking from the International Space Station (ISS) before its splashdown near the coast of Florida.Mogensen, along with his crewmates NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos astronaut Konstantin Borisov, have been on an almost six-month-long…

The focal point of the image, identified as IRAS 16562-3959, is…

A decade ago, the Earth was struck by the Chelyabinsk asteroid over Russia's Ural region. The asteroid exploded above the city and created a shockwave affecting 1500 people and destroying over 7300 buildings. It served to create fear, but more than that, it sent all the space agencies back to the drawing board to prepare contingency plans for such an event that may have far worse consequences. The fear of asteroid strike is always swings there as it had wiped out the dinosaurs from the face of Earth millions of years…

The EnVision mission to Venus will explore why Earth’s closest neighbor is so different. Credit: NASA / JAXA / ISAS / DARTS / Damia Bouic / VR2PlanetsESA’s EnVision mission to Venus, set for a 2031 launch, aims to explore the planet’s geology, climate, and internal structure. This comprehensive study seeks to answer key questions about Venus’s evolution and current state.ESA’s next mission to Venus was officially ‘adopted’ on January 25 by the Agency’s Science Programme Committee. EnVision will study Venus from its inner…

The world’s first metal 3D printer for space is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS), where it will be installed in ESA’s Columbus module. Its mission is to demonstrate the validity of the technology in orbit and pave the way for future use on Mars and the Moon. Developed by Airbus, the 180kg printer will be used to repair or manufacture tools, mounting interfaces, and mechanical parts. It can print parts with a volume of nine centimetres high and five centimetres wide, with the…

The James Webb space telescope has amassed what the ESA is calling a “treasure trove” of new images of spiral galaxies. While the images themselves are beautiful, Webb’s observations of these 19 galaxies have revealed unknown structures within them, leaving scientists scrambling to learn more.The images were taken using the near- and mid-infrared systems on the James Webb, and they have provided us with a ton of detail to look at. Not only do they showcase the dust, gas, and stars within the galaxy, but they…

The European Space Agency (ESA) has picked Germany’s Exolaunch to provide critical launch services for its Artic Weather Satellite (AWS), as the agency looks to outsource more of its space missions to private companies.   Already built and currently undergoing testing in Germany, the AWS is expected to dramatically improve weather forecasts in the Arctic — a region that currently lacks data for accurate short-term forecasts. The microsatellite is due to launch in June this year aboard a SpaceX…