ESA Space Safety

What if a solar eclipse could help us forecast space weather? ☀️🔮🌚 Ahead of the total solar eclipse on 12 August, researchers are creating virtual versions of the event, predicting what the Sun’s corona should look like during totality.  When the eclipse arrives, those predictions will be put to the test. A close match will help validate our understanding of the Sun’s complex magnetic environment and improve the models used to forecast solar storms.  A spectacular celestial event, and a valuable opportunity to better understand the star that shapes life on Earth. Read the full story here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eQquZU6c

A high-velocity meteor that exploded high above the South Atlantic off the coast of Argentina in April was detected by lightning imagers aboard European and US weather satellites. Their observations are helping to pin down its likely origin: https://lnkd.in/eXQdxjJr

📽️ Replay now available of the webinar 'ESA Ecodesign Policy: what it means for industry and the European space sector' Ecodesign is quickly moving from a best practice to an integral part of how space projects are conceived and procured. Discover our ESA Ecodesign Policy, why it has been introduced and what it means in practice for different actors across the space sector.    Building on more than a decade of Life Cycle Assessment experience, ESA is now systematically integrating life cycle thinking into its programmes to reduce environmental impacts while strengthening innovation, efficiency and competitiveness. Key messages in the webinar:  ✅ At ESA, ecodesign is shifting environmental considerations upstream, from late-stage assessment to early design decisions ✅ Sustainability is moving from isolated studies to a systematic approach embedded in space systems and selected technologies ✅ ESA is providing practical support to industry through guidance material, handbooks, trainings and dedicated events. Thank you to Andrea Vena, Sara Morales Serrano, Aurélie Gallice - Tanguy, Estefanía Padilla Gutiérrez, and Andrea Longobardo for your hard work on this! 🎥 Watch the webinar replay and download the slides on the ESA Learning Hub (under 'Resources'): https://lnkd.in/dwy53_qP 🌍 Learn more about ESA's Ecodesign initiative and explore our new FAQ: https://lnkd.in/e7TarWVW

Step 1 in effective planetary defence is reconnaissance - meaning flying spacecraft out to assess potentially threatening asteroids from close up ASAP. ESA’s Ramses will break records for an asteroid mission, from design to arrival in 3.5 years. Our new Sysnova project is seeking out ideas for ways future missions might get even faster: https://lnkd.in/eVRiCcgj

⏱️ How fast could we really reach a threatening asteroid? Through a new SysNova challenge on the Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP), the European Space Agency - ESA is seeking ideas for faster, leaner asteroid reconnaissance missions. NASA's DART showed a spacecraft can shift an asteroid's path – but doing that efficiently means understanding your target first, and right now even ESA's fastest missions take years to build. RAMSES will set a new benchmark, reaching asteroid Apophis just 3.5 years after construction starts. ESA wants to go faster still. That's why we are seeking mission concepts that define a lightweight reconnaissance spacecraft carrying a minimum effective sensor payload suite. A first demonstration mission would establish what is technologically possible; the longer-term goal is a fast reconnaissance capability that is both affordable and rapidly deployable – a strategic asset for the global planetary defence effort. 🌠 Read more and see how to submit: https://lnkd.in/eVRiCcgj #DiscoveryPreparation

Odysseus had his Odyssey. Hera has hers. 🌌 As ancient Greek myths find a new audience on cinema screens, one legendary name is already on an epic journey of its own. European Space Agency - ESA's Hera spacecraft is travelling across the Solar System to the binary asteroid system - Didymos and Dimorphos. There, it will investigate the aftermath of humanity's first asteroid deflection test, advancing our understanding of how we might one day protect Earth from hazardous asteroids. ☄️🛰️ Its name is no coincidence. For decades, ESA has drawn inspiration from mythology. From Ulysses, the legendary traveler, to Gaia, personification of Earth, these names connect humanity's oldest stories with some of our boldest exploration efforts. 🗣️ As Hera Principal Investigator Patrick Michel explains, the mission's name was inspired by the unique "partnership" between the two asteroids, leading naturally to the goddess of marriage. Today, Hera continues that tradition, carrying a name rooted in myth on a space safety mission dedicated to protecting our future.     Want to read more about the Greco-mythological legacy of ESA space missions? Click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eKxDpEUf

🛰🔧 Refurbishment in space? We’re on it! Europe’s in-orbit servicing capabilities are to be expanded through our ORUM mission, with phase A studies now kicked off. Our Space Safety Programme has kicked off three parallel Phase A studies for its future ORUM mission to accelerate the development of in‑orbit refurbishment and upgrading. Refurbishment will reduce the creation of space debris, extend satellite lifetimes and maximise the value of space infrastructure, all contributing to a sustainable, circular space economy. Working with European industry, the following concepts are now moving forward: 🔹 IRUS led by Astroscale (UK) 🔹 MORPH led by D-Orbit (IT) 🔹 CIRCE led by GMV (ES) All three mission concepts are for in-orbit refurbishment and upgrading services of prepared client satellites. With IRUS and CIRCE in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and MORPH in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), the concepts for demo missions will show how prepared client satellites can be refurbished to extend their operational lifetimes and/or provide new value. Technologies to be explored include: 🔹 Refurbishment of on-board systems such as computers, reaction wheels, batteries and solar arrays 🔹 Modularisation and serviceability of satellite subsystems 🔹 System-level design of a servicer spacecraft By progressing multiple concepts in parallel, ESA fosters innovation and maturity across the European ecosystem and paves the way for in-orbit servicing capabilities that will move the needle for sustainability in space. We’re excited to see what the three teams will come up with, good luck! 🙌🙌

🔔 Last call to apply & learn all about one of the biggest challenges the space sector is facing. Registration for the 9th edition of ESA Academy’s Space Debris Training Course for university students closes soon on 12 July.

Operating across 140 million km of space from ESOC's Interplanetary Control Room (left), ESA’s Hera mission team has upgraded the software running the spacecraft - leaving it ready to explore the distant Dimorphos and Didymos asteroids this autumn https://lnkd.in/eWQMWaAB

🌍🛰️ We experienced our yearly energy boost during the 2026 ESA Clean Space Days. We welcomed more than 400 participants, representing 250+ companies and institutions from 39 countries, after receiving more than 200+ abstracts – statistics to be proud of! Last week, the global space community gathered at ESA's ESTEC technical centre to exchange ideas, showcase innovations and strengthen collaborations. Throughout the week, a clear picture emerged: sustainability is moving from assessment and technology development to operational implementation. Discussions highlighted the scaling-up of #Ecodesign practices across programmes, the transition of #ZeroDebris technologies into mission-level solutions and debris-mitigation-compliant platforms, and growing momentum towards future #ISAM services, infrastructures and demonstration missions.  #TeamEffort Discussions also highlighted how collaboration remains essential. Participants emphasized the need for shared standards, data exchange, verification methods and cross-sector partnerships to accelerate adoption and achieve Europe's ambitions for a sustainable and circular space economy. Together, we transform sustainability from an ambition into action—helping ensure that space remains accessible, safe and beneficial for future generations. 🙌🙌 A huge thank you to all speakers, authors and attendees who contributed their expertise, passion and vision. The momentum felt during the fruitful exchanges have us back to work reenergised – we hope to see you all (and even more of you) again next year!