Welcome home, Sophie Adenot
European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot has returned to Earth after 237 days aboard the International Space Station, concluding the longest mission by a European astronaut to date.
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European Space Agency coverage
Every ClipRaptor briefing sourced from European Space Agency, with a direct link to the original publisher page. Page 1 of 2: briefings 1-30, published Aug 21, 2026 to Oct 12, 2026.
Sentinel-3C returns its first views of Earth
The Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite has delivered its first images and measurements just two weeks after launch, confirming its instruments are functioning and advancing its mission to monitor Earth’s environment.
Mars’s oddest cloud may be even odder than we thought
Researchers using ESA’s Mars Express and a Martian weather model have found that Mars’s Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud forms through an unprecedented atmospheric process called homogeneous nucleation, where water vapour...
Brake! Time for ESA’s Hera asteroid mission to go slow
ESA’s Hera spacecraft will execute critical braking manoeuvres starting 15 October to slow its approach to the Didymos binary asteroids, marking its most challenging activity since launch.
The Incredible Adventures of the Hera mission – The space detectives arrive
ESA’s Hera mission and its CubeSat companions have reached the Didymos double asteroid system, marking the first Solar System object whose orbit was altered by human intervention.
Watch Sophie Adenot return to Earth
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and Crew-12 will return to Earth on 7–8 October 2026 after nearly eight months in orbit, concluding the εpsilon mission with splashdown off California.
Beyond the airlock
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot completed three spacewalks in under 15 days, performing critical repairs and installations outside the International Space Station.
Juice’s September 2026 Earth flyby: the movie
ESA’s Juice spacecraft performed a gravity assist flyby of Earth on 28 September 2026, capturing unique images of the planet during its close pass.
What happened this month at the European Space Agency? (September 2026)
Europe’s space sector reached multiple milestones in September 2026, including launches, spacewalks, and orbital firsts that advance Earth observation and planetary science.
Three Earth Explorer candidates go forward
ESA advances three Earth Explorer mission candidates—ECO, Keystone, and CryoRad—toward final selection for its twelfth satellite mission, targeting climate and atmospheric research.
A hitchhiker’s guide to Hera’s target asteroids
ESA’s Hera mission will reach the Didymos–Dimorphos asteroid pair in November to assess changes from NASA’s 2022 DART impact, offering insights into asteroid dynamics and planetary defense.
A call to boost European space exploration
The European Space Agency has issued a strategic plan to enhance Europe’s role in space exploration, aiming for greater autonomy and international collaboration ahead of a key ministerial meeting in December.
ESA and The Pokémon Company International reveal Europe-wide exhibition and astronaut Pikachu experience
The European Space Agency and Pokémon Company International will launch a Europe-wide exhibition and digital event for World Space Week 2026, featuring a Pikachu plush that spent 67 days in orbit.
A galaxy spinning out of sync
Hubble images reveal NGC 4698, a spiral galaxy 55 million light-years away, whose stars and gas rotate perpendicular to its main disc, defying typical galactic structure.
FLEX and Sentinel-3C launch highlights
ESA launched the FLEX and Sentinel-3C satellites aboard Vega-C from French Guiana to study plant fluorescence and Earth’s dynamics, enhancing global environmental monitoring.
FLEX and Sentinel-3C launched
Europe launched two Earth observation satellites, FLEX and Sentinel-3C, aboard a Vega-C rocket from French Guiana, advancing plant health research and environmental monitoring.
Questions? Ask our Hera Space Companion!
The European Space Agency introduces the Hera Space Companion, an AI-powered platform to engage the public in its planetary defence mission by answering real-time questions and explaining complex topics interactively.
ESA’s FLEX mission reveals the secret glow of plants
ESA’s FLEX mission will detect faint plant fluorescence from space to monitor photosynthesis and environmental stress, enhancing climate and carbon cycle research.
ESA Space Environment Report 2026
The ESA’s 2026 Space Environment Report reveals worsening orbital debris risks, with rapid satellite growth and fragmentation outpacing mitigation efforts, accelerating the Kessler syndrome timeline.
A team of teams like never before: rehearsing a unique launch at ESA mission control
ESA is preparing to launch two satellites, FLEX and Sentinel-3C, simultaneously from Kourou, requiring parallel mission teams to coordinate closely during launch and early operations.
MTM's selfie footage of BepiColombo's eight-year journey
ESA and JAXA’s BepiColombo mission has released a selfie video compiling eight years of its journey through the inner Solar System, including nine planetary flybys and a 9.9 billion km voyage toward Mercury.
Isar Aerospace achieves first launch to orbit from continental Europe
German company Isar Aerospace successfully launched its Spectrum rocket to orbit from Andøya Spaceport in Norway, marking Europe’s first commercial orbital launch by a private firm.
MTG-I2 completes Europe’s latest weather trio
Europe’s latest weather satellite, MTG-I2, launched on Ariane 6 to complete the Meteosat Third Generation constellation, enhancing forecasting and climate monitoring across Europe and northern Africa.
Expedition Sound podcast series
The European Space Agency has launched Expedition Sound, a podcast series using sonification to translate space mission data into audio, making astronomy more accessible, including for visually impaired listeners.
MTG-I2 ready for launch on Ariane 6
Europe’s Meteosat Third Generation Imager-2 satellite is encapsulated atop an Ariane 6 rocket for launch on 27 August from French Guiana, marking the ninth flight of the heavy-lift launcher.
MTG-I2 ready for launch
The European Space Agency announced the MTG-I2 weather satellite is prepared for launch on 27 August 2026 aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from French Guiana, enhancing Europe’s severe weather forecasting capabilities.
Second spacewalk completed for Sophie Adenot
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot completed her second spacewalk on 25 August, alongside NASA’s Anil Menon, installing a spare Space-to-Ground Antenna on the ISS after overcoming delayed progress from earlier attempts.
Watch live: MTG-I2 set for liftoff
Europe’s Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite MTG-I2 is scheduled to launch on 27 August aboard an Ariane 6 rocket, completing the first MTG constellation for advanced weather forecasting.
Watch Sophie Adenot’s second spacewalk live
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will conduct her second spacewalk on 25 August alongside NASA astronaut Anil Menon to install a critical communication antenna on the International Space Station.
Sentinel-1 captures major ice loss from Greenland glacier
Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar imagery detected a 76 sq km ice loss from Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland on 4 August 2026, the largest since 2012.