European Space Agency

🚨 We have a launch date! The Smile mission is set to launch on a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport on Thursday 9 April at 08:29 CEST. A collaboration between ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Smile will study how Earth responds to the solar wind from the Sun. 1/2

🔴 #LiveNow: media briefing following the 345th ESA Council meeting. 📺 watch.esa.int/Two/

Welcome Cyprus, our new Associate Member. 🇨🇾 👋 🔗 esa.int/Newsroom/Press…

January–March 2026 was a busy season for us! Get up to speed on European space with our new ESA Impact visual report, out now 👉 esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/pub…

#MediaInvitation: journalists are invited to join the online media briefing on 25 March ahead of the launch of #Smile on Vega‑C #VV29, launch window 8 April – 7 May 2026 from Europe’s Spaceport. Register by 23 March 👉 esa.int/Newsroom/Press…

Day 032, orbit 0498 – Here is the very first picture I took from the Cupola… just like when you’re flying on a plane, clouds ⚪  are at times the only thing as far as the eye can see – the biggest difference being that we’re about 390 km higher than a commercial jetliner! The blue 🔵  tone of the image comes from the atmosphere, which scatters the shorter wavelengths of light, such as blue and violet. You see the same effect from a plane, though more faintly. Near the top of the picture, along the curve of the Earth, you can clearly see how thin the atmosphere is, fading from a pale to a deeper blue before disappearing into the black of space ⚫… Second pic is my very first picture from Dragon, with heart-shaped clouds, which I took as a message to spread good vibes. More pictures soon! 🌍 📷 Credit: NASA/ESA – S. Adenot (1), NASA/ESA/SpaceX (2) #εpsilon

#WatchLive: Join us on 19 March at 13:00 GMT/14:00 CET for a media briefing following the 345th ESA Council meeting taking place in Interlaken, Switzerland. 📺 watch.esa.int

🚀 10 years ago, our largest and most sophisticated martian explorer left Earth behind. To mark the launch anniversary, here are 5 remarkable things @esa's Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) was made for 🧵👇

#Artemis II update 🚀 ⏰ April launch opportunities in Central European Summer Time (CEST) 🗓️ 2 Apr — 00:24 🗓️ 3 Apr — 01:22 🗓️ 4 Apr — 02:00 🗓️ 5 Apr — 02:53 🗓️ 6 Apr — 03:40 🗓️ 7 Apr — 04:36 Set those alarms Europe ☕ Night owls 🦉 and very early birds 🐦, this one's for you 🌕

🔴 #LiveNow: join the online media briefing for the first launch of Celeste on #ESAWebTV 🔗 watch.esa.int/two/

#MediaInvitation: journalists are invited to join a one‑off opportunity to see three ESA-built satellites in their final preparations before liftoff, at @Thales_Alenia_S, Cannes, on 16 April 2026. Register by 31 March 👉 esa.int/Newsroom/Press…

Our Smile spacecraft has arrived at @EuropeSpacePort in French Guiana.  🔗 esa.int/Science_Explor… @esascience @Avio_Group @ESA_transport @CAS__Science

Today starts the Future Space Transportation Spring Session 2026 in Paris. The event brings @esa, industry, investors and Member State delegates to review progress across Europe’s space transportation activities. Tune in on #ESAWebTV2 to follow live from 14:00: watch.esa.int

New AI Hub at ESA! 🛜 Located at ECSAT and backed by @spacegovuk, the hub will advance satellite‑enabled connectivity and give European industry a unique space to test, validate and scale AI‑driven innovations. Another step forward in boosting Europe’s autonomy and cybersecurity. 🔗 esa.int/Space_in_Membe…

Day 023, orbit 0355 – Yes, you can be a woman, and at the same time, love high tech / high speed activities, and love being a woman and wearing high heels. Today is the day to celebrate women. If there is one thing I want to share with other women on this occasion, it’s this: dare to embrace all parts of your personality and dare to chase your dreams – even if some people around you have doubts! Happy women’s day! 👠 😉 📷 Credit : Lionel Monnier, photoshoot with my test pilot helmet in 2022 #εpsilon

🚀 Meet ESA’s newest female leaders: Céline Begon, Christine Boelsche, Céline Folsché and Ildiko Raczne Szoke are among the women shaping Europe’s future in space. With women now making up 37% of new recruits and 27% of top management, ESA continues advancing gender balance in the sector. 🔗 esa.int/About_Us/Diver…

From the @ISS to millions on Earth🌍, @Soph_astro reminds us on #IWD2026 that no dream is too big. Representation and diversity in STEM are essential to pushing boundaries and inspiring the next generation of Europe’s engineers and innovators – no matter what they look like or where they come from. Pushing boundaries. Lifting Europe higher. Inspiring the masses. #Epsilon #Crew12 #InternationalWomensDay

Day 021, orbit 0329 – Emotions / first impressions 😍 #εpsilon • @esa • @esaspaceflight • @ESA_fr • @NASA_Johnson • @Space_Station

☄️ Asteroid 2024 YR4 will not impact the Moon in 2032! New observations from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed that the object will pass safely at a distance of more than 20 000 km. This result was made possible by a close collaboration between ESA’s NEOCC, NASA’s CNEOS, and the Webb mission. 🔗 esa.int/Space_Safety/P… (Pic: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. Micheli (ESA NEOCC) @csa_asc @ESA_Webb @esascience @esaoperations @NASA