European Space Agency - ESA

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 🌍 🌏 To mark this special day, we’re tuning in to Sen, the world’s first continuous 4K video livestream from space. Sen’s cameras are hosted on our Columbus module of the International Space Station, with data delivered via the Airbus Defence and Space platform. Streaming in real time, it shows breathtaking views of our planet as the ISS passes over cities, oceans and deserts.   Here are just a few moments captured from orbit: 1. Hurricane Henriette, North Pacific (11 Aug 2025) 2. The Bahamas, Caribbean Sea (09 Oct 2025) 3. Alexandria, Egypt (18 Aug 2025) 4. Patagonia, Chile / Argentina (22 Mar 2026) 5. Grand Canyon, United States of America (07 Feb 2026) 6. Sunrise over the USA (13 Aug 2025)   Watch Earth from above, just like our astronaut Sophie Adenot does on the #εpsilon mission. 📹 Sen

🎂This Friday marks Hubble’s 36th anniversary and we are celebrating it with a dazzling Trifid Nebula portrait! Time moves on, but some moments are worth revisiting. The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a renewed view of the Trifid Nebula, a scene it first observed in 1997.🕰️ The colours in Hubble’s visible light image of this shimmering region of star-formation are reminiscent of an underwater scene filled with fine-grained sediments fluttering through the ocean’s depths.🌊👉https://lnkd.in/dXqJ-xvZ 💡𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐇𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?🤔 Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI. Image processing: J. DePasquale (STScI) ESA Hubble and Webb Space Telescopes ESA Space Science NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Telescope Science Institute

Hubble time! 🌌 This is IC 486 sitting around 380 million light-years away in the constellation Gemini. It may look serene🧘🏻♀️, but its centre tells a very different story...🤔 IC 486 is a barred spiral galaxy, with a bright central bar from which its spiral arms unwind in a smooth, almost ring-like pattern. Hubble reveals subtle colour differences across the galaxy, from the warm glow of older stars in the core to faint blue regions where new stars are forming in the surrounding disc.✨ Threaded throughout are delicate lanes of dust, gently obscuring light and marking regions rich in the raw material for future stars. These structures are not static, but part of an ever-changing system shaped by gravity and stellar evolution.💫 At the centre, something stands out. 🧐A bright, white glow outshines the surrounding starlight. This is an active galactic nucleus, powered by a supermassive black hole more than 100 million times the mass of the Sun.☀️ As it pulls in gas and dust, the material heats up and emits intense radiation, sometimes outshining the entire galaxy. 💡This image is part of a larger effort to understand how galaxies grow and evolve. By studying systems like IC 486, scientists are connecting the large-scale structure of galaxies to the powerful activity at their cores, combining Hubble’s observations with citizen science projects like Galaxy Zoo and new machine learning techniques. 🔎Look beyond the spiral and you will find even more. Scattered across the background are distant galaxies, while nearby stars shine with characteristic diffraction spikes, adding depth to this cosmic scene. ✅So take another look… what caught your eye first?👀 Credits: ESA Hubble and Webb Space Telescopes NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth, N. Bartmann (ESA/Hubble)

📷This was our #WeekInImages 13-17 April 2026.👉https://lnkd.in/eF5CQDZn

With the 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 (𝐄𝐒𝐌) for 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐈 now safely back, we mark a significant achievement shaped by long-term collaboration, engineering excellence and a shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of human spaceflight. 🚀This milestone reflects the collective effort of talented teams working together to support the next phase of lunar exploration and future deep-space missions. 🛰️ 💡We've asked some of our colleagues working on the European Service Module to share what being part of this journey has meant to them. 🎙️Hear from Marco Arcioni, ESM Assembly Integration Test and Verification Team Leader on his experience:  "The Artemis II Moon flyby shows that space exploration is ultimately a shared human endeavour. Seeing Europe contribute through the European Service Module highlights how international collaboration makes such achievements possible. To me, it demonstrates the unique power of space projects to unite organisations, countries and expertise around a common goal. It’s not just about returning to the Moon; it’s about what we can accomplish together when we align our ambitions and work as one.  As AIT/AIV team leader, my most memorable experience is the time spent at Kennedy Space Center integrating and testing the European Service Module with the Orion Crew Module. Beyond the technical challenges, what stands out is the collaboration; working closely with NASA, Airbus and Lockheed Martin colleagues to solve problems together. Those intense days built not only the spacecraft, but also strong relationships and trust. For me, that human collaboration is what truly defines the mission and let us achieve together the impossible." #ESArecruits

🚨Registration for the upcoming ESA Industry Space Days 2026 (ISD) is now officially open. Held every two years, the ISD brings together 2500 individuals from B2B clients, partners, ESA representatives, and key industry stakeholders for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and strategic networking. 📍Location: ESA ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands 📅Dates: 16-17 September 2026 ✒️Register: https://lnkd.in/eFXwVNK6 The event offers a unique opportunity to: - Engage directly with ESA and industry representatives - Build and strengthen relationships with B2B clients and partners - Network with decision‑makers, innovators, and technical experts across the space ecosystem - Present products, services, and capabilities to a highly relevant audience #ISD2026ESA Follow Business with ESA for more 👍

🧹Ash creeps across Mars🤔 📸Our #MarsExpress mission has captured a blanket of dark ash creeping across the Red Planet. It has spread hundreds of kilometres in less than 50 years. 💡Read more 👉https://lnkd.in/e37DDP4A Freie Universität Berlin (Free University of Berlin) German Aerospace Center (DLR)

🎉With the successful return of the 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐈 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 (𝐄𝐒𝐌), we celebrate an important milestone made possible by years of collaboration, technical excellence and shared ambition across teams and disciplines. Every component reflects the dedication and expertise of individuals committed to advancing human space exploration and enabling the next chapter of lunar missions. 🚀 💡We invited some of our colleagues to share what contributing to this mission has meant to them. Sara Pavesi, Mission and Performance System Engineer working on the ESM, shares:  "Seeing Europe contributing in such a critical mission like Artemis II for the full Artemis Program and the future human exploration is extremely inspiring and meaningful to me, both professionally and personally. Europe is responsible for a core element of Orion spacecraft: the European Service Module, which provides power, propulsion, active and passive thermal control and key consumables for the survival of the crew, like air and water.  Knowing that Europe is providing the backbone of the Orion spacecraft through engineering excellence, reliability and long-term system thinking is a real source of pride. It is also a mission of firsts and milestones, among which the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft around the Moon, the first human mission beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in more than 50 years, the record for human spaceflight’s farthest distance and the first time a woman travels beyond LEO. Being part of a mission that is shaping the future of human exploration, and especially being part of the Artemis II Mission Evaluation Room (MER) team, is incredibly rewarding to me.  One of the most memorable moments for me was definitely the launch. It was incredibly emotional and full of anticipation. After the multiple Wet Dress Rehearsals in February and March, it was not entirely expected that everything would work perfectly on the first attempt, and seeing the launch succeed so smoothly was both a relief and a huge moment of joy. In a way, it really showed how essential those rehearsals are and how much preparation matters. Another unforgettable moment was the lunar flyby itself. Listening to the astronauts, hearing their voices, and knowing what they achieved during the mission was truly special. It made all the work behind the mission very tangible and reminded me why this mission is so extraordinary—not just from an engineering point of view, but also on a human level. " #ESArecruits

🚀The journey back to the Moon is powered by innovation, precision and, above all, people.🤝 The 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐈 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 (𝐄𝐒𝐌) represents years of collaboration, technical excellence and shared ambition across teams and disciplines. Every component reflects the dedication of individuals committed to advancing human space exploration. 🛰️ 💡We asked some of our colleagues to share what working on this mission means to them. 🎙️Hear from Jens Laursen, ESM System Engineer: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐈 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐲𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧‑𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧? "For the first time Europe has sent a human rated vehicle crew further away than the Apollo programme ever reached. ESA and European industry have developed and delivered, on time, several European Service Modules to NASA and I am proud of ESA and European industry for achieving this historical milestone.   Spending days, evenings, nights and weekends with agencies and industry can be challenging but then when you sit in the control room and witness live video, images and telemetry data from the vehicle and the onboard crew during flight, it makes it all worth it! That joy and that feeling are memories that will last and the stories that I will tell the future engineers working in the space industry. " #ESArecruits

🚨𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲! The European Commission and ESA are spearheading an ambitious initiative: IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite), a next-generation satellite constellation aiming to bolster Europe's digital sovereignty and provide resilient communication services across the continent. 🌍 Three vacancies are currently open in the IRIS² team - could this be your next project?🛰️ "For ESA, IRIS² is a major opportunity to consolidate the agency's role as Europe’s space technology leader... The programme strengthens ESA–EU cooperation, supports Europe’s industrial competitiveness and accelerates the adoption of cutting-edge space solutions across the continent." Alfredo Quiles, Head of the Secure Connectivity System Office "Joining IRIS² means becoming part of a mission‑driven team united by a common goal: delivering a resilient, secure and future‑proof European satcom capability. It’s a place where challenges are big, impact is real and learning never stops." Renaud Sallantin, Head of Secure Connectivity System Architecture Section in the System Office 💡Read more and apply today👉https://lnkd.in/e-ceEkuJ #ESArecruits