Herschel and Planck to lift off on 14 May

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Apr 28, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Now that additional checks on the Ariane 5 ECA launcher have been completed, Arianespace and ESA have set the launch date of Herschel and Planck for Thursday 14 May.

Stars forced to relocate near the Southern Fish

Space & Earth / Astronomy

Mar 03, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (4) | 0

About 100 million light-years away, in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Fish), three galaxies are playing a game of gravitational give-and-take that might ultimately lead to their merger ...

GOCE launch: Mapping the Earth’s gravity as never before

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Mar 09, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- ESA is about to launch the most sophisticated of Earth Observation satellites to investigate the Earth’s gravitational field with unprecedented resolution and accuracy.

Columbus, one year on orbit

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Feb 11, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

Exactly one year ago today, the European Columbus laboratory arrived at its berth on the International Space Station, signalling the start of a new era for Europe in human spaceflight.

February launch for ESA's CryoSat ice mission

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Sep 14, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- As members of the media visit IABG’s spacecraft test centre in Germany to learn more about ESA’s CryoSat mission and view the satellite, a new target launch date of 28 February 2010 has been ...

Space technology optimises windmill efficiency

Technology / Engineering

Dec 07, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (3) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A French start-up company from ESA's Business Incubation Centre in the Netherlands has developed a small instrument to measure wind speed and direction from the ground up to heights of 200 ...

Four of Saturn's moons parade by their parent

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Mar 17, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (3) | 0

On 24 February 2009, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured a photo sequence of four moons of Saturn passing in front of their parent planet. The moons, from far left to right, are the white icy moons ...

Delays seen for Soyuz, Vega launches at Europe's space base

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Jun 16, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

The first launches by the veteran Russian rocket Soyuz and a new light rocket called Vega from Europe's space base will be postponed to 2010, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Monday.

Gaia star mapper to lift off from Europe's Spaceport on a Soyuz launcher

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 16, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- Gaia, ESA's next-generation star mapper, will be carried into space by a Soyuz-STB/Fregat launch vehicle from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. David Southwood, ESA's Director of Science ...

Proba-2's journey to Russia marks its first step towards space

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Jul 06, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Proba-2, one of the smallest satellites ESA has ever built for space, is about to leave its Belgian homeland. Its development and testing complete, the satellite is being packed up for the ...

'Webcam' from Space: Envisat observing Wilkins Ice Shelf

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Dec 12, 2008 | 4.6 / 5 (5) | 1

In light of recent developments that threaten to lead to the break-up of the Wilkins Ice Shelf, ESA is making daily satellite images of the ice shelf available to the public via the 'Webcam' from Space web ...

Eastern Aral Sea has shrunk by 80% since 2006: ESA

Space & Earth / Environment

Jul 10, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (20) | 3

The eastern lobe of the disaster-struck Aral Sea seems to have shrunk by four-fifths in just three years, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Friday.

Rosetta probe lined up nicely for Earth approach

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Oct 28, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Following the first and primary trajectory correction manoeuvre 22 October, Rosetta is lined up nicely for the approach to Earth. The manoeuvre provided an 8.8 cm/s change in orbital velocity ...

Europe launches study into manned spacecraft scheme

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Jul 08, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (3) | 1

The European Space Agency (ESA) said it had taken an important first step in a tentative project to build a manned spacecraft that would be launched atop its Ariane 5 rocket.

Space radar techniques for land mapping

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

Jul 17, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 1

Entrepreneurs at ESA’s Business Incubation centre in the Netherlands have used radar technology from the agency’s Envisat remote-sensing satellite to develop a compact, high-resolution radar that can monitor ...