European Space Agency

On 3 September 2026 at 15:49 CEST, the European Space Agency's BepiColombo Mission Control Team at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) received the signal they had been waiting for – BepiColombo’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) successfully separated from the spacecraft stack. This landmark achievement for the ESA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission marks the first step of BepiColombo's long-awaited arrival at Mercury. 

Video: 02:31:10 Watch the replay of the livestream originally broadcast on 3 September as ESA/JAXA's BepiColombo mission took the first critical step towards arriving at Mercury.After travelling through the inner Solar System together for eight years, BepiColombo's Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from the rest of the stacked spacecraft on 3 September 2026. This marks the beginning of one of the most complex planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.Broadcast live from

Image: This sprawling cosmic vista and subject of today’s ESA/Hubble Picture of the Month comes from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The LMC is the largest of the small galaxies that orbit our Milky Way galaxy. At just 160 000 light-years away, the LMC offers a close look at highly active stellar birthsites like the nebula shown here. This nebula is named LHA 120-N44, or N44 for short, and it’s located in the constellation Dorado.The appearance of this photogenic nebula is dominated by two

Recent observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a giant, evolving 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn’s south pole. This discovery marks the first time a large regular-sided jet pattern has been observed in the planet’s southern hemisphere. The feature appears remarkably similar to Saturn’s famous hexagon at its northern pole, but is also distinctly different, suggesting scientists may be witnessing a new atmospheric phenomenon develop on the iconic gas giant.

Video: 01:09:40 Rewatch the European Space Agency's 31 August 2026 online press briefing on the latest developments of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, Europe's and Japan's first mission to Mercury.This briefing focused on the complexities of the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), scheduled for 3 September 2026, a critical milestone marking the start of BepiColombo’s Mercury arrival phase. It also provided an overview of the operational challenges and milestones ahead, inc

Image: NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, at 07:26 EDT / 12:26 BST/ 13:26 CEST on 30 August 2026. With the successful launch, Roman began its mission to survey the sky in visible to near-infrared light to help reveal the nature of dark energy and dark matter. The telescope will also investigate the true diversity of exoplanets in our galaxy.Roman is a NASA-led mission to which the European Space

After eight years, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is about to enter its Mercury Arrival Phase. On 3 September 2026, ESA’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from BepiColombo’s two science orbiters – the first major step in one of the most operationally challenging planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.  The European Space Agency (ESA) will livestream the critical milestone from 13:45 CEST. Tune in and witness the first step of one of the most complex phases of the mission,

The NASA-led Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to launch on 30 August 2026 at 07:26 EDT / 12:26 BST / 13:26 CEST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.With its wide field of view and advanced optical design, the Roman telescope will conduct detailed scans of the sky in visible to near-infrared light. In doing so, Roman will help reveal the nature of dark energy and dark matter and find new exoplanets.

Image: Roman will scan a large patch of the sky in visible to near-infrared light, with its wide field of view and advanced optical design. The mission will provide key insights that will help reveal the nature of dark energy and dark matter and find new exoplanets.To achieve its science goals, Roman is equipped with a primary mirror of 2.4 m and two instruments: the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) and a Coronagraph Instrument technology demonstrator.Roman is a NASA-led mission to which ESA contr

Video: 00:04:10 ESA’s Mars Express takes us on another mesmerising flight, this time around one of the biggest craters on Mars. Despite measuring a huge 460 km across, Schiaparelli Crater seems to be relatively shallow. Perhaps it has been filled in over the last few billion years by sediment blown by the wind or deposited by water, by lava – or by a combination of all three. Schiaparelli Crater is named after Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835–1910). Although he studied Merc

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, grew to its current size in part by consuming smaller galaxies. Now, new data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope show definitive evidence of a dwarf galaxy merging with the young Milky Way galaxy in the earliest phases of its evolution. This finding extends our knowledge of our galaxy’s history 1.8 billion years farther back in time than before.

Video: 01:10:42 We broadcast live from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Spain as a total solar eclipse crossed Europe on 12 August 2026. The path of totality swept across Greenland, Iceland, Spain and a small area of northeastern Portugal, while much of Europe experienced a partial eclipse. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre is a world-class

On 12 August 2026, Europe witnessed the first total solar eclipse in over two decades. Millions of people were awed by the Moon completely covering the Sun's bright disc, briefly turning day into night and revealing the Sun's outer atmosphere. Totality could be seen from Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Portugal, while most of the rest of Europe saw a partial eclipse.

Video: 00:05:08 [English] Experience a musical simulation of the 12 August 2026 total solar eclipse as seen from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (Spain). Click here for information about ESA’s live broadcast from this observatory, or visit esa.int/solareclipse for an overview of all ESA eclipse activities & resources. This is a ‘musification’ – an artistic interpretation of a set of data. In this case, the eclipse determines when and how much of each sound is heard. The music

Video: 00:01:24 When the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, it casts a shadow onto Earth's surface. For people in the darkest part of this shadow, the face of the Sun is totally blocked out, and its wispy atmosphere becomes visible.On Wednesday 12 August, such a shadow will cross Greenland, Iceland, northeastern Portugal and Spain. With this being the first total eclipse visible from mainland Spain since 1905, the European Space Agency (ESA) has decided to do something special.ESA’s

Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*.

Image: Observing across the starry “plains” of space, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has taken images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula.The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope previously viewed this planetary nebula in 2000, imaging the lion face-shaped target in visible light and revealing features such as the “mane” of hazy, comet-shaped objects. Now Webb has captured a clearer, more detailed view of the Lion Nebula due to its high-resolution imaging.At first glance the nebula

On 12 August 2026, parts of Europe will experience a total solar eclipse. With the Sun's bright disc covered, its surrounding atmosphere – the solar corona – will become visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, total solar eclipses are rare and last at most a few minutes, giving scientists little time to study the Sun’s enigmatic halo.  This is why ESA developed missions that create eclipses artificially, and why experts use computer models to create digital simulations. So how do we do it, and

Video: 00:01:44 [English] On 12 August 2026, Europe will witness one of nature’s most spectacular events: a total solar eclipse starting at 19:30 CEST.As the Moon’s shadow sweeps across Spain, join the European Space Agency live from Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre where Dame Dr. Maggie Aderin and ESA scientists will fill you in on everything you need to know about the eclipse and reveal the science behind the spectacle.Are you watching from Spain? Join ESA in León at Palacio de C

Image: This NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month takes us to a fantastical realm within our home galaxy, where piercing starlight and billowing winds sculpt dust clouds into inventive shapes. This scene is from the Carina Nebula, which lies just 7500 light-years away in the constellation Carina (the Keel).Spanning roughly 260 light-years, the nebula is home to an incredible collection of objects, including the Cosmic Cliffs revealed in the first-ever Webb image release