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ESA Top Multimedia

Cygnus NG-23 closeout

As this timelapse shows, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir worked together readying the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft for its detachment from the Unity module and release into Earth orbit with the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

Sophie configured hardware that enabled Cygnus XL to be disconnected from Unity, then closed the spacecraft’s hatch. Jessica set up the equipment used to depressurize Cygnus XL in advance of its departure.

The cargo vehicle was detached on 12 March 2026 from the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station’s Unity module and released from the Canadarm2 robotic arm at 14:06 CET.

Artemis II splashdown

Today, at 17:07 local time (Pacific) on 10 April (01:07 BST/02:07 CEST on 11 April), NASA's Orion spacecraft and its crew splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, marking the successful end of the Artemis II mission, humankind's first journey around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

ESA's European Service Module powered the spacecraft over 1 million kilometres through in deep space, providing air and water for the astronauts, generating electrical power via its four solar arrays, maintaining thermal control and delivering propulsion.

Mostly built by European industry under ESA leadership, the European Service Module was assembled by Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen, Germany, with contributions from companies across 13 European countries, involving 20 main contractors and over 100 European suppliers.

Throughout the mission, European engineers supported operations around the clock from ESA's centres in the Netherlands and Germany, as well as alongside NASA teams in Houston, ensuring Orion and its crew completed their journey safely around the Moon and back home.

Earth from Space: Lava flow on Réunion Island

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures an active lava flow on the Piton de la Fournaise volcano on Réunion Island.

Richat structure, Mauritania

Richat structure, Mauritania, observed from the ISS

Orion Mission Evaluation Room in Houston

European engineers in the Orion Mission Evaluation Room at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

European Service Module mission control at ESTEC

European engineers in the Eagle mission control room at ESA's technical site in the Netherlands

Do a spacewalk | Mission X

Time to monkey around! Join ESA reserve astronaut John McFall in some bear crawls and crab walks to improve body control and build strength. #missionx #astronauttraining #strengthtraining #stemlearning #exercise Download the activity pdf here: https://trainlikeanastronaut.org/do-a-spacewalk/

This activity can be done anytime, anywhere! Try it at home, in a classroom, or after-school with friends.

Mission X: Train like an astronaut is a hands-on project that engages young learners with STEM, health and nutrition activities in the inspiring context of space.

Access all Mission X videos.

Pointing in the (b)right direction

ROSE-L radar deployment test

An important milestone has been reached in developing the upcoming Copernicus Radar Observing System for Europe in L-band satellite, known as ROSE-L. Engineers have tested the deployment of a structural model of its huge radar antenna – a key step towards preparing this new satellite for launch and its mission to monitor Earth’s land, oceans and ice from orbit.

One of the six Copernicus Sentinel Expansion missions, ROSE-L, whose development is led by Thales Alenia Space as the mission’s prime contractor, will help strengthen Europe’s Earth-observation capabilities, complementing existing missions such as Sentinel-1 while expanding monitoring services for land management, food security, emergency response, and climate science.

The video shows how the deployment of ROSE-L’s synthetic aperture radar was recently tested at Airbus Defence and Space’ facilities in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Read full story: ROSE-L radar unfolds in crucial ground test

Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon.

US EVA-94 preparations

Expedition 74 crewmates and NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams conducted an EVA on 18 March to prepare the Station for the installation of another pair of iROSA solar panels.

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway supported the spacewalkers, helping them suit up and closing the hatch behind them – as this timelapse shows.

Graphene and lasers for space propulsion

An international research team boarded ESA’s 86th parabolic flight campaign in May 2025 with ultralight graphene aerogels, then hit them with light during zero gravity phases to observe their reaction under space-like conditions. 

Inside a vacuum chamber, a continuous laser beamed on three small cubes made of graphene aerogel. A high-speed camera recorded the action through glass tubes. This video has been slowed down 10 times; each experiment run lasted 30 milliseconds.

The effect of the laser during the microgravity phases was startling: the graphene samples shot forward instantly. Another finding was the ability to control the propulsion by tuning the light beam. The stronger the laser, the greater the acceleration.

Under Earth’s gravity conditions, the aerogels barely moved at all. The results, published in Advanced Science, demonstrate that microgravity unlocks the potential of light propulsion for graphene aerogels in terms of velocity, thrust and distance.  

Lasers could one day steer solar sails and adjust a satellite’s position in outer space, thanks to graphene.

Graphene aerogels are ultralight, highly porous materials that merge graphene’s exceptional electrical conductivity with the structural advantages of aerogel architecture. They maintain strong mechanical performance despite their low density. 

Researchers at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Belgium and Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) led the study.

Moonset over Earth

This photo is one of a set published on social media by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot with the caption:

[version FR] Day 052, orbit 0808 – Since the dawn of humanity, the Moon has been a reassuring presence, accompanying and comforting explorers, sailors, scientists and all those who find themselves far from their loved ones.
As Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy set off with #Artemis to write a new chapter in lunar exploration, we took a moment to admire a moonset from the Station…

--
Jour 051, orbite 0808 – Depuis les débuts de l’humanité, la Lune est une présence rassurante qui accompagne et réconforte les explorateurs, les marins, les scientifiques et tous ceux qui se trouvent loin de leurs proches.
Alors que Reid, Victor, Christina et Jeremy sont en route pour écrire avec #Artemis une nouvelle page de l’exploration de la Lune, nous avons pris un moment pour admirer le coucher de la Lune depuis la Station…

Credit: NASA/ESA – S. Adenot

Date: 02-04-2026

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Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL): SMD PASTA experiment

This timelapse was published by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot on her social media with the following caption:

[EN] Another experiment, and another timelapse! This time, I’m working with the Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL), one of the science facilities inside ESA’s Columbus module.

The experiment is called PASTA-3 and investigates the formation and evolution of emulsions over time when there is no gravity to interfere. Emulsions are mixtures of two or more liquids that do not usually mix, such as oil and water.

During this session, I installed 3 experiment containers with new samples inside the FSL. Each PASTA sample has a different concentration of surfactant (an agent that helps liquids mix) and Xanthan Gum in addition to a water and oil mixture.

This experiment helps scientists better understand and model the fundamental physics of emulsions. That knowledge has numerous applications on Earth, including:
improving food quality and shelf life (milk, dough, mayonnaise, candy…), enhancing the stability and effectiveness of medicines (including vaccines) and cosmetics, optimising processes in industrial and advanced manufacturing sectors (oil, chemicals …).

PASTA-3 is one of the 36 European experiments I get to work on during my mission! Go science!

(PASTA is short for PArticle STAbilised emulsions experiment.)

[FR] Nouvelle expérience, et nouveau timelapse ! Cette fois-ci, cela se passe dans le Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL), l’une des installations scientifiques situées à l’intérieur du module Columbus de l’ESA.

L’expérience s’appelle PASTA 3 : elle étudie la formation et l’évolution des émulsions au fil du temps en l’absence de gravité. Une émulsion, c’est un mélange de deux ou plusieurs liquides qui ne se mélangent pas facilement, comme l’huile et l’eau.

Lors de cette session, j’ai installé trois lots de nouveaux échantillons dans le FSL. Chaque échantillon PASTA présente une concentration différente de tensioactif (un agent qui aide les liquides à se mélanger) et de gomme xanthane, en plus d’un mélange d’eau et d’huile.

Cette expérience aide les scientifiques à mieux comprendre et modéliser la physique fondamentale des émulsions avec à la clé de nombreuses applications sur Terre, comme par exemple:
l’amélioration de la qualité des aliments et de leur durée de conservation (lait, pâte, mayonnaise, confiseries…), le renforcement de la stabilité et de l’efficacité des médicaments (y compris les vaccins) et des cosmétiques, l’optimisation des procédés industriels et de fabrication avancée (pétrole, chimie…).

PASTA 3 est l’une des 36 expériences européennes sur lesquelles j’ai la chance de travailler durant ma mission ! Vive la science !

(PASTA est l’abréviation de PArticle STAbilised emulsions experiment.)

A European powerhouse

Orion's European Service Module with engines and solar arrays on display

Earthset from lunar orbit

Earth sets above the lunar horizon during Artemis II

Astro Agility Course | Mission X

Join ESA reserve astronaut John McFall in this agility activity to improve fast, dynamic movement and directional changes. #missionx #astronauttraining #agility #stemlearning #exercise Download the activity pdf here: https://trainlikeanastronaut.org/agility-astro-course/ This activity can be done anytime, anywhere! Try it at home, in a classroom, or after-school with friends.

Mission X: Train like an astronaut is a hands-on project that engages young learners with STEM, health and nutrition activities in the inspiring context of space.

Access all Mission X videos.

Smile: A global answer to a global mystery

The European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are joining hands to uncover how Earth defends itself against dangerous particles and radiation from the Sun.

It’s the first time we will have images and videos of what happens when this solar wind crashes into our magnetic field. Smile will witness this interaction in action, using four onboard instruments to watch the drama unfold.

Life can only exist as we know it when nestled safe inside this giant magnetic bubble surrounding our planet. By imaging the bubble as a whole for the first time, Smile will help us build up the fundamental understanding that space weather forecasting will ultimately depend on.

Learn more about Smile.

Going to the Moon

Orion, European Service Module and a distant Moon

Artemis II: Journey to the Moon begins

Artemis II launched on 2 April at 00:35 CEST, (18:35 local time on 1 April), sending astronauts around the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. At the heart of the mission is ESA's European Service Module, which powers, propels and sustains the Orion spacecraft and its crew on their journey around the Moon and safely back to Earth.