The copper-colored baffle cover of the European Space Agency’s Characterising Exoplanet Satellite, Cheops, in the cleanroom at Airbus Defence and Space Spain, Madrid. After completing spacecraft testing, the satellite has passed a very important review that determined it is ready to fly. Cheops will be stored in Madrid for a few months before being shipped…
Space Radiation Detector Investigates Fake Masterpieces
Technology originally developed for CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and then flown in space by ESA is now being used to analyze historic artworks, helping to detect forgeries. “The art market is a jungle—some say that around 50 percent of art pieces and paintings are either fakes or are incorrectly attributed,” explains Josef Uher, chief technology…
Spacecraft’s X-Ray Eyes Assembled in Cleanroom
A “mirror module”—formed of 140 industrial silicon mirror plates, stacked together by a sophisticated robotic system—is destined to form part of the optical system of the European Space Agency’s Athena X-ray observatory. Due to launch in 2031, Athena will probe 10 to 100 times deeper into the cosmos than previous X-ray missions, to observe the…
Revolutionary Nanosatellites to Monitor Earth Weather
The first “Pioneer” mission lifted early on Nov. 29 from Sriharikota, India, with the two inventive little nanosatellites now circling the Earth, ready for action. The shoebox-sized satellites were launched at 04:27 GMT into low Earth orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s PLSV launcher, and opened their first communication windows with their owner, Spire…
Satellite Laser Shines Light on Wind
Following the launch of Aeolus on August 22, this extraordinary satellite’s instrument has been turned on and is now emitting pulses of ultraviolet light from its laser, which is fundamental to measuring Earth’s wind. And, this remarkable mission has also already returned a tantalizing glimpse of the data it will provide. Lofted into space on…
Space Orbiters Stack Up
Cleanroom Snapshot: Sterilizing a Martian-Bound Antenna
Pictured is a ground penetrating radar antenna for ESA’s ExoMars 2020 rover being pre-cleaned in an ultra-cleanroom environment in preparation for its sterilization process, in an effort to prevent terrestrial microbes coming along for the ride to the red planet. Part of the Agency’s Life, Physical Sciences and Life Support Laboratory based in its Netherlands…
Galileo Takes a Road Trip to the Cleanroom
The next two satellites in Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system have arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, ahead of their planned launch from the jungle space base in July. Galileo satellites 23 and 24 left Luxembourg Airport on a Boeing 747 cargo jet on the morning of May 4, arriving at Cayenne-Félix Eboué…
Galileo Satellites Prepped for Launch
Two more Galileo satellites have reached Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, joining the first pair of navigation satellites and the Ariane 5 rocket due to haul the quartet to orbit this December. Galileos 21 and 22 left Luxembourg Airport on a Boeing 747 cargo jet on the morning of Oct. 17, arriving at Cayenne-Félix Eboué…
Surviving the Long Dark Night of The Moon
Designers of future Moon missions and bases have to contend with a chilling challenge: how might their creations endure the fortnight-long lunar night? ESA has arrived at a low-cost way of surviving. During prolonged night, when the surface is lit only by blue Earthlight, temperatures dip below –170ºC. Some locations at higher latitudes have shorter…