An international group of scientists has swapped their comfortable offices for one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet to carry out a challenging field campaign that is seen as the key to ensuring the data delivered by ESA’s ice mission CryoSat will be as accurate as possible.
The Ulysses mission operations team has won an international award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the success and scientific productivity of the joint ESA/NASA observatory mission, now orbiting the poles of the Sun.
Chile’s Chaiten Volcano is shown spewing ash and smoke (centre left of image) into the air for hundreds of km over Argentina’s Patagonia Plateau in this Envisat image acquired on 5 May 2008.
PR 26-2008 Following a successful launch on 27 April, GIOVE-B began transmitting navigation signals today. This is a truly historic step for satellite navigation since GIOVE-B is now, for the first time, transmitting the GPS-Galileo common signal using a specific optimised waveform, MBOC (multiplexed binary offset carrier), in accordance with the agreement drawn up in July 2007 by the EU and the US for their respective systems, Galileo and the future GPS III.
Envisat captured Cyclone Nargis making its way across the Bay of Bengal just south of Myanmar on 1 May 2008. The cyclone hit the coastal region and ripped through the heart of Myanmar on Saturday, devastating the country.
ESA’s orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has been used by a team of international astronomers to uncover part of the missing matter in the universe.
On 28 April 2008 Poland reinforced its relations with ESA by signing the Plan for European Cooperating State Charter. This is a direct follow up to the signing of the European Cooperating State Agreement in April 2007.
The Earth’s oceans play a vital role in the carbon cycle, making it imperative that we understand marine biological activity enough to predict how our planet will react to the extra 25 000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide humans are pumping into the atmosphere annually.
Water, water everywhere - a vital resource that is a defining feature of our planet. But how much do we really understand about the water around us - where does the water on Earth come from, where do you find water in space and what role does it play?
Technology spin-offs from European space programmes were showcased at the SpaceTransfer08 event at the world’s leading industrial trade fair Hannover Messe 2008.
Technology spin-offs from European space programmes were showcased at the SpaceTransfer08 event at the world’s leading industrial trade fair Hannover Messe 2008. Technology transfer cases were exhibited and successful exchange of innovative technologies between space and non-space sectors were discussed by key speakers.
After its successful launch by a Soyuz Rocket from Baiknour on 27 April and accurate insertion into its target orbit by the Fregat autonomous upper stage, GIOVE-B is now completing its Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP), which will shortly give way to the platform commissioning phase.
Artificial intelligence (AI) being used at the European Space Operations Centre is giving a powerful boost to ESA’s Mars Express as it searches for signs of past or present life on the Red Planet.
Launch videos and audio of the post-launch press conference are now available.
After the successful launch, commissioning of the spacecrfat is continuing - directed from the dedicated control room at Telespazio’s ground control centre at Fucino, in Italy. Videos of the launch and speeches by ESA personnel and guests, together with audio of the post-launch press conference held at Fucino on Sunday morning are now available.
Full launch details on the GIOVE-B website.
ESA PR 25-2008 A further step towards the deployment of Europe’s Galileo global navigation satellite system was taken tonight, with the successful launch of ESA’s second Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element (GIOVE-B) satellite, carrying the most accurate atomic clock ever flown into space.
| Lift off is scheduled for 00:16:02 CEST |
| Follow the launch on the GIOVE-B website. |
Authorisation has been given for fuelling of the Soyuz launch vehicle. Kerosene, liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen and hydrogen peroxide are being loaded into the four stage one boosters and the stage two core, and kerosene and liquid oxygen into the third stage.
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