Space exploration: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope now at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana being placed on a ESA Ariane 5 rocket

The next steps ahead are to safely lift Webb to an upper platform which has been prepared so that Webb can be connected to the Ariane 5's upper stage. After being connected to the rocket, technicians will move forward to encapsulate Webb inside Ariane 5's specially adapted fairing.

In preparation for a Dec. 22 launch, ground teams have already successfully completed the delicate operation of loading the spacecraft with the propellant it will use to steer itself while in space.

Read more at: James Webb Space Telescope moved to meet its rocket

ESA: Lift-off for European Union's new space programme - by Jonathan Amos

The new EU space programme has been officially launched.

It'll cover the period to 2027 and will see the bloc's 27 member states deepen investments in satellite-navigation, Earth observation, space situational awareness and secure communications, among other activities.

It also establishes a new body called the EU Agency for the Space Programme.

Read more at: Lift-off for European Union's new space programme - BBC News

ESA: European Space Agency approves record budget | News | DW | 28.11.2019

The ESA is to invest €14.4 billion ($15.8 billion) in space exploration including a moon mission up to 2022. Germany is now the largest contributor to the agency's biggest ever budget.

Read more at:
https://www.dw.com/en/european-space-agency-approves-record-budget/a-51457014

ESA: European space mission aims to fill missing piece of climate jigsaw - by Rafael Cereceda

The European Space Agency has commissioned a new satellite mission in a bid to find a crucial missing piece of the climate jigsaw.

It will allow scientists to measure and understand the influence of the Earth's far-infrared emissions on its climate system.

The mission, called FORUM (Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring), was chosen over another project that aimed to use a satellite to measure ocean current and waves, following consultation with the scientific community.

Wolfram Mauser, who chaired ESA’s advisory committee for earth observation, said, “Both mission concepts are outstanding in the value they would bring to science and are technologically ready to be built, so it was difficult to recommend which one should be implemented.

“Nevertheless, FORUM promises to improve climate models and, therefore, climate prediction. So with the issue of climate change a major global concern, we finally decided to recommend this concept – and we are very happy that ESA has taken our recommendation.”

Mark Drinkwater, head of the European agency's earth exploration missions, explained to Euronews that FORUM has been chosen "for its unique contribution to Earth system science, with a focus on the processes that regulate the Earth's radiation budget and are therefore of critical importance to the climate".

Read more at: European space mission aims to fill missing piece of climate jigsaw | Euronews

ESA: EU space chief outlines plans for moon village

Moon-landing 50th anniversary: Europe's space chief outlines plans for 'moon village'

Read more at :
https://www.euronews.com/2019/07/17/moon-landing-50th-anniversary-europe-s-space-chief-outlines-plans-for-moon-village

The Digest Group
Almere-Digest
EU-Digest
Insure-Digest 
Turkish-Digest 

For additional information, including advertising rates - e-mail:Freeplanet@protonmail.com

ESA: European Space Agency Ariane 6 rocket hits key milestone

 Via euronews: Ariane 6 rocket hits key milestone  

Read more at:
https://www.euronews.com/2018/10/24/ariane-6-rocket-hits-key-milestone

French Guiana - Kourou - Meteorology: ESA Sends Europe's Aeolus Lidar-equipped Wind Satellite into Orbit

Vega lifts off from Europe's 
Space port in Korou, French Guiana

ESA’s Earth Explorer Aeolus satellite has been successfully launched into polar orbit on a Vega rocket.

Using revolutionary Lidar technology, Aeolus will measure winds around the globe and play a key role in the quest to better understand the workings of the atmosphere. Importantly, this novel mission will also improve weather forecasting.

Carrying the 1,360kg Aeolus satellite, the Vega rocket lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 21:20 GMT (23:20 CEST, 18:20 local time) on 22 August. Some 55 minutes later,

Vega’s upper stage delivered Aeolus into orbit and contact was established through the Troll ground station in Antarctica at 00:30 CEST on 23 August.

Named after Aeolus, who in Greek mythology was appointed ‘keeper of the winds’ by the Gods, this novel mission is the fifth in the family of Europe's ESA’s Earth Explorers, which address the most urgent Earth-science questions of our time.

Read more: ESA Sends Aeolus Lidar-equipped Wind Satellite into Orbit

European Space Agency warns: China's Tiangong-1 space station 'will crash into Earth over Easter' possibly hitting populated areas- by Harry Pettit

China's out of control space station Tiangong-1 to crash on earth

China's out-of-control space station will crash into Earth this coming Easter weekend, according to the European Space Agency.

The agency's Space Debris Office has said Tiangong-1 will hit somewhere across our planet's northern hemisphere between March 30 and April 2.

Previous estimates suggested the rogue station, China's out of Cwhich is carrying highly toxic chemicals, would enter Earth's orbit on April 3.

According to experts tracking the station, it has the highest chance of crashing along a narrow strip around latitudes of 43 degrees north and south.

The ESA said crash date estimates were 'highly variable' and that its experts would be offering revised forecasts every couple of days.

'At no time will a precise time/location prediction from ESA be possible,' the agency's Space Debris Office, based in Darmstadt, Germany, said in a statement.

The doomed 8.5-tonne craft has been hurtling towards Earth since Chinese scientists lost control of it in 2016.

Experts believe most of Tiangong-1 will burn up upon reentry, but shards as large as 100kg (220lbs) could strike Earth.

Scientist believe that even in 'high risk' areas, the chance of being struck by Tiangong-1 debris is about one million times smaller than the odds of winning the Powerball jack. 

However, there is a chance parts of the station containing hazardous hydrazine could plummet into a highly-populated area.

Following Cities are listed as potential crash sites:

Barcelona	Spain	Milwaukee	USA
Beijing	China	Monaco	Monaco
Bilbao	Spain	Naples	Italy
Boise	USA	New York	USA
Boston	USA	Nice	France
Boulder	USA	Philadelphia	USA
Buffalo	USA	Pittsburgh	USA
Cannes	France	Punta Arenas	Chile
Chicago	USA	Rochester	USA
Christchurch	New Zealand	Rome	Italy
Cleveland	USA	Salt Lake City	Spain
Concord	USA	San Sebastian	Spain
Des Moines	USA	Sapporo	Japan
Detroit	USA	Sioux Falls	USA
Florence	Italy	Sochi	Russia
Istanbul	Turkey	Stanley	Falkland Islands
Kushiro	Japan	Toronto	Canada
Madrid	Spain	Trelew	Argentina
Marseilles	France	Valladolid	Spain

Read more: China's Tiangong-1 space station 'will crash into Earth over Easter' | Daily Mail On

French Guiana - ESA: Getting the New European Ariane 6 Space Vehicle launch pad ready by July 2020

The New ESA Ariane 6

When Euronews visited, around 500 people were active on the site from six in the morning until ten at night, with attention focused on two key elements of the pad – firstly the huge flame trench which will take the hot gases away from the rocket on launch, and the new building in which the Ariane 6 will be built.

Every element of the new launcher has been built with efficiency and savings in mind, as Europe’s space sector seeks to halve the cost of launching an Ariane 6 compared to today’s heavyweight Ariane 5.

One of the key innovations is that the Ariane 6 will be built horizontally, like the Americans and Russians already do, rather than vertically. This allows for big economies in terms of air conditioning costs and the need for special safety equipment for staff working on high-level platforms.

Didier Coulon, who manages the site for the European Space Agency, explains the steps a rocket will go through: “Once we’ve assembled the launcher, it will be put on a transporter, and we send it to the launch zone, and there it’s raised up vertically, we then bring along the boosters, and at that moment we carry our a general check of the launcher, and that gives the green light to bring along the upper composite with the satellite inside. Once we’ve done that we pull back the 90 metre high mobile portico and we go ahead with the launch.“

Read more: Race to build Ariane 6 rocket launch pad | Euronews

EU-China Space Cooperation: ESA and Chinese astronauts train together

ESA astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer joined 16 Chinese astronauts earlier this month for nine days of sea survival training off China's coastal city of Yantai. The ultimate goal is for ESA to establish a long term cooperation with China and ESA astronauts to fly on China's space station.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-08-esa-chinese-astronauts.html#jCp

China's soon to be operational Space Station

ESA astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer joined 16 Chinese astronauts earlier this month for nine days of sea survival training off China's coastal city of Yantai.

The ultimate goal is for ESA to establish a long term cooperation with China and ESA astronauts to fly on China's space station.

Returning from space, astronauts need to be prepared for any eventuality – including landing in water. Sea survival is a staple of all training but this is the first time that other astronauts had joined their Chinese counterparts.

Working in groups of three, the astronauts donned pressure suits and entered a mock Shenzhou capsule that was then released into the sea. The astronauts had to swap their flightsuits for insulation and buoyancy suits before jumping into inflatable boats. They then practised rescue procedures with both a ship and a helicopter.

Samantha says: "The training was superbly planned and conducted. It was a great opportunity to refresh my skills and a first time practising capsule egress in the ocean with decent waves.

"Most importantly, we were welcomed as colleagues and friends by the 'taikonauts' and the instructors. Language and cultural differences are obviously a challenge, but also adds value, as we are all focused on the common goal of space exploration."

ESA astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer joined 16 Chinese astronauts earlier this month for nine days of sea survival training off China's coastal city of Yantai. The ultimate goal is for ESA to establish a long term cooperation with China and ESA astronauts to fly on China's space station.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-08-esa-chinese-astronauts.html#jCp

Read more:ESA and Chinese astronauts train together

Ireland: ESA and DCU partnership to fuel Irish innovation in satellite communications for the Internet of Things (IoT)

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Dublin City University have joined forces to establish a Satcom IoT ‘Maker Space’, which will support the development of innovative Machine-to -Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies for satellite communications.

Based at DCU Alpha, the University’s Innovation Campus, and supported by Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the initiative will provide opportunities for rapid prototyping and validation of challenging innovative technologies proposed by ESA and DCU, which are targeted at industry, space tech entrepreneurs, academics and the wider Maker movement.

 Potential applications will address challenges faced in everyday life. For example;

    Developing satellite enabled sensors which could aid in search and rescue operations;
    Developing satellite enabled sensors to monitor critical infrastructure;
    Adapting existing radio protocols and standards to integrate terrestrial communications with satellite communications

ESA has awarded a contract to the Maker Space through its ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) Core Competitiveness programme. Published projects will provide opportunities for target stakeholders to address individual design and development challenges. Over an 18 month period, projects will be awarded and implemented by target stakeholders via a competitive process. Maker Space activities will be 100% funded, with typical values of between €5,000 and €20,000 per activity.

Read more: ESA and DCU partnership to fuel Irish innovation in satellite communications for the Internet of Things (IoT) | DCU

European Space Agency: ESA to supply cameras for Russian lunar mission

European Space Agency Rocket launch from Kourou French Guiana base

With plans to blast off to the Moon in 2019, Russia have enlisted the help of the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide high-resolution cameras necessary for the landing of the spacecraft as Russia prepares to initiate its new lunar exploration program.

The first mission of Russia's lunar program, Luna-Glob, will be one of five spacecraft that is intended to fly to the Moon to study its south pole from both space and on the ground, with further craft aiming to return lunar soil samples back to Earth with a device also supplied by ESA.

"We hope, at least as of today all agreements have been reached, that the European Space Agency will take part in lunar research," said director general of the NPO Lavochkin research and industrial association, Sergey Lemeshevsky.

"It is quite possible that ESA will take part in the development and manufacture of the high-precision landing systems. It will be the third explorer," said Lemeshevsky.

"We have invited the Europeans to take part, they said ‘yes’ concerning soil collecting devices and ‘yes’ concerning high-precision cameras for the 2019 spacecraft. However talks on high-precision landing are still underway," he added.

Russia's lunar program has been years in the making, but has been repeatedly delayed. Now with ESA on board, who already have substantial investments in other Russian-EU programs such as ExoMars, the lunar mission may finally achieve its 2019 launch target.

ESA to supply cameras for Russian lunar mission

Outer Space: NASA's Hubble Telescope Captures Stunning Supermassive Black Hole As It Engulfs An Entire Galaxy

NASA and the European Space Agency’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured this incredible image of ill-fated galaxy NGC 4696.

Caught in stunning high-resolution, the image shows a galaxy that looks very different to the flat disc-shaped galaxies we’ve come to recognize.

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have been studying this utterly unique galaxy in the hopes of learning the origins for its rare and almost chaotic shape.

What they found was that it is essentially a swirling collection of vast curling filaments of matter, pushed out from the galactic core by something that is currently in the process of devouring it: A supermassive black hole.

Each filament is around 10 times more dense than the surrounding space, measures around 200 light years in width and contains vast quantities of dust and matter.

If you trace each one you’ll find that it leads back to the galaxy’s core where the supermassive black hole is flooding it with almost unimaginable amounts of heat and energy.

Read more: NASA's Hubble Telescope Captures Stunning Supermassive Black Hole As It Engulfs An Entire Galaxy | The Huffington Post

Global Warming: Europe launches Sentinel-3A satellite to help track global warming

Europe has launched a satellite it is hoped will help predict climate change patterns as well as improve everyday weather forecasting.

The Sentinel-3A satellite blasted off on board a rocket launcher from Plesetsk in northwestern Russia as part of the Copernicus Earth observation project.

Following on from the work of previous models, it could help track global warming in the same way that Europe’s first satellite, launched in the 1970s, helped improve weather forecasts.

“In general, what we try to reach with the Sentinel satellites is what we have done maybe 35 years ago in meteorology. We have built an operation and satellite system to improve the forecast. So, Sentinel-3, if you want, gives us a bigger picture. That means that the instruments on board have a lower resolution.

But for that we have every day the status of our planet,” said Volker Liebig, Director of the European Space Agency’s Earth Observation Programmes.

One of several satellites that are to monitor the planet, from 800 kilometres above Earth the satellite will collect data on sea temperatures and monitor changes in climate.

The Copernicus project, funded by the EU and the European Space Agency (ESA), is described as the most ambitious Earth observation programme to date.

Read more about the Sentinel-3A’s mission on the ESA’s website here.

Read more: Europe launches Sentinel-3A satellite to help track global warming | euronews, world news

European Space Agency’s wingless experimental spacecraft successfully returns to earth.

The European Space Agency’s Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, as its called blasted off from its launchpad in French Guiana.

Its flight path was closely monitored at the European Space Agency’s mission control in Torino.

A variety of materials from high-tech carbon fibre to ordinary cork were tested to shield the wingless craft during re-entry after it had soared to an altitude of 413 kilometres and descended at speeds of up to 27,000 kilometres an hour, before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

Euronews correspondent, Jeremy Wilkes in Italy says: “The atmosphere in the control room is now relaxed and happy. The data has come down from the IXV spacecraft, the mission was a huge success and that’s going tofeed all kinds of new types of space missions, spacecrafts in the future over the next 20 years”.

Read more: European Space Agency’s wingless experimental spacecraft successfully returns to earth. | euronews, world news

Space Research: Europe’s first spaceplane IXV set for dramatic re-entry test

Europe’s first spaceplane, IXV, faces its most crucial test on Wednesday (February 11) – and you can follow it live on euronews.com, where we’ll be providing live text updates, multimedia and the best from social media.

The European Space Agency (ESA) craft will blast into space for the first time and then re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.

The flight is important because Europe currently has no atmospheric re-entry system of its own.
Lift-off is due between 13h-15h GMT.

The launch, flight and splashdown will be covered live by Euronews’ space expert Jeremy Wilks from the Thales Alenia Space mission control room in Turin, Italy.

The IXV blasts off from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana in the nose of a Vega rocket, and will fly up to an altitude of over 400 kilometres, about the same as the International Space Station, before coming back down to a targeted spot in the Pacific Ocean. The flight will last about 100 minutes.

Read more: Europe’s first spaceplane IXV set for dramatic re-entry test | euronews, space

ESA - Space Exploration: Rosetta discovers water on comet 67p like nothing on Earth

The Rosetta spacecraft has detected water coming off comet 67P, the rubber duck-shaped lump of ice and dust that it placed the Philae robotic lander on last month.

The presence of water is not a surprise, but what has wrong-footed researchers is the makeup of the water, which is nothing like that seen on Earth.

Measurements from Rosetta’s Rosina instrument found that water on comet 67P /Churyumov-Gerasimenko contains about three times more deuterium – a heavy form of hydrogen – than water on Earth.

The discovery seems to overturn the theory that Earth got its water, and so its ability to harbour life, from water-bearing comets that slammed into the planet during its early history.

Comet 67P is thought to have come from what is called the Kuiper belt, a broad band of frozen bodies that begins beyond the orbit of Neptune. The main asteroid belt contains more rocky objects that circle the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Read more: Rosetta discovers water on comet 67p like nothing on Earth | Science | The Guardian

ESA - European Space Exploration: Europe to build new-generation Ariane 6 rocket - by Véronique Martinache

European Space Agency (ESA) ministers "took a major decision—to develop a new launcher, the Ariane 6, which will replace the Ariane 5, with a maiden flight scheduled for 2020," French Research Minister Genevieve Fioraso said in a statement describing the deal as "historic."
Tuesday's agreement came after months of behind-the-scenes haggling to ease a rift between France and Germany over Ariane 5's successor.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-12-europe-new-generation-ariane-rocket.html#jCp

European nations announced Tuesday they would build a new-generation rocket in a multi-billion-euro (dollar) programme to maintain their grip on the world market for satellite launches.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-12-europe-new-generation-ariane-rocket.html#jCp

European Space Agency (ESA) ministers "took a major decision—to develop a new launcher, the Ariane 6, which will replace the Ariane 5, with a maiden flight scheduled for 2020," French Research Minister Genevieve Fioraso said in a statement describing the deal as "historic."

European Space Agency (ESA) ministers "took a major decision—to develop a new launcher, the Ariane 6, which will replace the Ariane 5, with a maiden flight scheduled for 2020," French Research Minister Genevieve Fioraso said in a statement describing the deal as "historic."

Tuesday's agreement came after months of behind-the-scenes haggling to ease a rift between France and Germany over Ariane 5's successor.

European Space Agency (ESA) ministers "took a major decision—to develop a new launcher, the Ariane 6, which will replace the Ariane 5, with a maiden flight scheduled for 2020," French Research Minister Genevieve Fioraso said in a statement describing the deal as "historic."
Tuesday's agreement came after months of behind-the-scenes haggling to ease a rift between France and Germany over Ariane 5's successor.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-12-europe-new-generation-ariane-rocket.html#jCp

Read Europe to build new-generation Ariane 6 rocket (Update)

ESA: Philae probe ‘sniffed’ organic building blocks of life, scientists say -by Victoria Bryan

European comet lander Philae “sniffed” organic molecules containing the carbon element that is the basis of life on Earth before its primary battery ran out and it shut down, German scientists said.

They said it was not yet clear whether they included the complex compounds that make up proteins. One of the key aims of the mission is to discover whether carbon-based compounds, and through them, ultimately, life, were brought to early Earth by comets.

The COSAC gas analysing instrument on Philae was able to “sniff” the atmosphere and detect the first organic molecules after landing, the DLR German Aerospace Center said.

The lander also drilled into the comet’s surface in its hunt for organic molecules, although it is unclear as yet whether Philae managed to deliver a sample to COSAC for analysis.

Also onboard the lander was the MUPUS tool to measure the density and thermal and mechanical properties of the comet’s surface. It showed the comet’s surface was not as soft as previously believed.

MUPUS could be used again if enough sunlight gets through to reload Philae’s batteries, which the scientists hope may happen as the comet approaches the sun.

Read more: Philae probe ‘sniffed’ organic building blocks of life, scientists say - The Globe and Mail

ESA Space Exploration: Philae comet lander shuts down as batteries go flat after sending data - by Irene Klotz

A pioneering robotic spacecraft shut down on Saturday after radioing results of its first and probably last batch of scientific experiments from the surface of a comet, scientists said.

Batteries aboard the European Space Agency's Philae comet lander drained, shutting down the washing machine-sized probe after an adventurous and largely unscripted 57-hour mission.

Racing against the clock, scientists activated a series of automated experiments, the first to be conducted from the surface of a comet.

Before dying, Philae defied the odds and radioed its science results back to Earth for analysis.
Its last task was to reposition itself so that as the comet soars towards the sun, Philae's batteries may recharge enough for a follow-on mission.

Read more: Philae comet lander shuts down as batteries go flat after sending data - The Globe and Mail