The team working on ESA’s Hera asteroid mission have glimpsed its destination. Last September NASA’s DART mission returned images of the boulder-strewn Dimorphos moonlet just before it impacted it, in an audacious and ultimately successful attempt to shift its orbit around its parent asteroid Didymos.
Space News & Blog Articles
ESA’s mission Euclid is getting ready for lift-off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, with a target launch date of 1 July 2023.
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Watch the replay of the media briefing following the 316th ESA Council which takes place on 28 and 29 June in Stockholm. ESA Council Chair Anna Rathsman (Sweden) and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher will share the outcome of the meeting and provide an update on the launch of new ESA Earth observation missions, upcoming astronaut missions, the Space Summit planned for 6-7 November 2023 in Sevilla (Spain), as well as the decision on the public release of official ESA documents.
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ESA’s Euclid space telescope is nearly ready for launch. The spacecraft arrived in Florida on 30 April for final tests and checks, and now being integrated with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will carry it into space.
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On 27 June, this last glimpse of ESA’s Euclid space telescope was caught right before it was encapsulated by a SpaceX Falcon 9 fairing, meaning that the nose of the rocket was installed over the spacecraft.
Our ‘ESA Photolibrary for Professionals’ platform has relaunched with a new modern user interface, additional search features and download options. Register for a user account and you can access the largest selection of high-resolution professional images from ESA.
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After being secured to the SpaceX Falcon 9 adaptor, on Friday 23 June, Euclid was mounted on top of the Payload Attach Fitting (PAF). Before launch, Euclid on the PAF will be encapsulated in the Falcon 9 rocket. ESA’s new cosmological mission Euclid is getting ready for lift-off with a target launch date of 1 July 2023 from Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA).
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In June 2023, representatives from ESA, the French space agency CNES, Ariane 6 and launch operator Arianespace met at ArianeGroup’s rocket factory in Les Mureaux, near Paris, to see how the all-new Ariane 6 is taking shape.
The 54th edition of the Paris Air Show, held from 19 to 25 June, just came to an end. The week-long show, one the oldest and largest aerospace events in the world, welcomed institutional and trade visitors on the first four days, while on the last three days it opened its doors to space and aviation enthusiasts, students and children with their families. With more than 20 000 people visiting the ESA/CNES pavilion in the last three public days, the Paris Air Show 2023 showcased the successes and ambitions of the European Space Agency for a record-breaking number of visitors to the ESA pavilion.
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On Friday 23 June, Euclid was secured to the adaptor of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Engineers attached the satellite to the adaptor that will be placed on the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, which will launch Euclid into space. ESA’s new cosmological mission Euclid is getting ready for lift-off with a target launch date of 1 July 2023 from Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA).
An international team of scientists have used data collected by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to detect a molecule [1] known as the methyl cation (CH3+) for the first time, located in the protoplanetary disc surrounding a young star. They accomplished this feat with a cross-disciplinary expert analysis, including key input from laboratory spectroscopists.
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On 22 June 2023 at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, engineers rolled back the mobile gantry protecting Ariane 6 on its launch pad. The exercise helped validate ground systems and prepare for a series of engine fire tests.
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From Monday 19 to Sunday 25 June, at the ‘Space Pavilion’ of Paris Air Show 2023, ESA and CNES present ambitious new projects in space exploration, astronautics, Earth observation and security-related applications.
ESA will be broadcasting live as the Euclid space telescope, which will explore the dark Universe, is targeted to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA, at 11:11 local time / 15:11 UTC / 17:11 CEST on Saturday 1 July 2023. A back-up launch date of Sunday 2 July 2023 is foreseen.
After four intensive days of panels and sessions dedicated to professionals and trade visitors, starting today ESA/CNES pavilion will be helding a variety of events dedicated to students and general public.
Work to develop a reusable engine for European rockets is progressing, with full ignition of an early prototype of Prometheus. These images were taken on 22 June 2023 at ArianeGroup’s test facility in Vernon, France during a 12-second burn.
ESA’s new Ariane 6 launch system is being prepared for a round of engine fire tests – with removal of the mobile building that protects the rocket while it sits on the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

