ESA Top Multimedia

English

How does Europe study the Sun? Discover the missions revealing the secrets of our closest star, from SOHO and Solar Orbiter to Proba-3, which is creating artificial solar eclipses in space to unlock new insights into the Sun's mysterious corona.

Featuring ESA Reserve Astronaut Sara García Alonso.

Spanish 

¿Cómo se estudia el Sol desde Europa? Acompaña a Sara García Alonso en un recorrido por las misiones de la ESA que observan nuestra estrella, desde SOHO y Solar Orbiter hasta Proba-3, que está creando eclipses solares artificiales en el espacio para investigar la misteriosa corona solar.

Con Sara García Alonso, astronauta de reserva de la ESA.

Smile successfully launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 19 May 2026.

This timelapse captures the excitement and precision of launch operations as the spacecraft begins its journey to study the connection between the Sun and Earth.

Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is an international space science mission designed to investigate how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere. By observing these dynamic processes from space, Smile will help scientists better understand space weather and its effects on our planet's magnetic environment.

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

Day 106, orbit 1644 — This timelapse shows the approach and docking of the SpaceX CRS‑34 resupply mission on 17 May. Isn’t it amazing to think that this docking manoeuvre takes place while flying at 28,000 km/h around the Earth?
The blurred dot in the middle of the picture is actually a micrometeoroid impact on the Cupola window… No worries, it’s been there for a long time !

--

Jour 106, orbite 1644 – Ce timelapse montre les phases d'approche et d’amarrage de la mission de ravitaillement SpaceX CRS‑34 le 17 mai. Incroyable de se dire que cette manœuvre d’amarrage s’effectue à 28 000 km/h autour de la Terre !
Le point flou au centre de l’image est un impact de micrométéoroïde sur le hublot de la Cupola… mais pas d’inquiétude, il n’est pas récent !

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

Day 105, orbit 1629 — This accelerated video shows the installation of MatISS-4, a French experiment that aims to collect and study the biocontamination of the air inside the European Columbus module. Biocontamination – such as small skin cells, droplets from sneezes or saliva, and bacteria – is unavoidable, so we make sure to clean surfaces every week (I’ll publish a housekeeping timelapse soon!), but some areas are particularly hard to reach…

Over 10 years, MatISS has shown that the Station’s systems are very efficient; after several months of exposure, the contamination level inside the MatISS cases remains low. MatISS-4 features a new design, which will allow the contaminated membranes to be analysed at the European Synchrotron in Grenoble using an X-ray nano-imaging instrument. Go science! 

MatISS has also enabled researchers to identify surfaces that are more resistant to biocontamination, opening up many applications on Earth: in public transportation, where thousands of people touch the same surfaces every day, in places where limiting contamination is key, such as hospitals, cruise ships, and submarines, and even in livestock farming. Less biocontamination = less cleaning with chemical products! 

--

Jour 105, orbite 1629 – Cette vidéo accélérée montre l’installation de MatISS‑4, une expérience française qui vise à collecter et étudier la biocontamination de l’air à l’intérieur du module européen Columbus. La biocontamination – cellules de peau, éternuements, postillons, bactéries – est inévitable. Nous nettoyons les surfaces chaque semaine (je publierai bientôt un timelapse de ménage !), mais certaines zones sont particulièrement difficiles d’accès…

Depuis plus de 10 ans, MatISS démontre que les systèmes de la Station sont très efficaces ; après plusieurs mois d’exposition, le niveau de contamination à l’intérieur des boîtiers reste faible. MatISS‑4 présente un nouveau design, qui permettra d’analyser les membranes contaminées à l’aide d’un instrument de nano-imagerie X du synchrotron européen de Grenoble. Vive la science !

MatISS a également permis aux chercheurs d’identifier des surfaces plus résistantes à la biocontamination, ouvrant la voie à de nombreuses applications sur Terre : dans les transports publics, où des milliers de personnes touchent les mêmes surfaces chaque jour , dans les lieux où limiter la contamination est essentiel, tels que les hôpitaux, les navires de croisière et les sous‑marins, et même dans les élevages. Moins de biocontamination = moins de nettoyage avec des produits chimiques !

What did space deliver for Europe this month? From asteroid flybys to Mars landing tests, new discoveries from Webb and Hubble, and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot capturing shooting stars from orbit, here’s your monthly roundup from the European Space Agency.

This month also saw ESA team up with DON’T NOD for Aphelion, a sci-fi adventure inspired by real space science and exploration.

This picture was published on social media as part of a set by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot with the following caption:

Day 103, orbit 1598 — From orbit, volcanoes are some of the most beautiful natural sights… End of April, Etna caught me by surprise one morning as I opened the shutters. The whiteness of its slopes… and that elegant plume of smoke which is a gentle reminder that it’s only lightly, very lightly, asleep. I just had time to take a quick photo, but I kept an eye out for it the next day to capture a few more! A special thought for my fellow ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, who is from Catania, at the foot of Etna.

Less than a minute later, and we’re flying over Vesuvius, instantly recognisable by the vast crater, the path winding up to the summit, and, most of all, Naples spread out all around it.

--

Jour 103, orbite 1598 – Les volcans sont parmi les plus beaux sites naturels à voir depuis l’orbite… Fin avril, l’Etna m’a prise par surprise un matin alors que j’ouvrais les volets… La blancheur des ses pentes, et surtout ce beau volute de fumée qui rappelle qu’il a le sommeil léger, très léger. J’ai juste eu le temps de prendre une photo, mais je l’ai guetté le lendemain pour en faire d’autres! Clin d’oeil à mon camarade Luca Parmitano, originaire de Catane, au pied de ce majestueux volcan…

Moins d’une minute plus tard, et nous sommes au-dessus du Vésuve, reconnaissable au premier coup d’oeil  par son  immense cratère, le sentier qui serpente vers le sommet, et surtout Naples qui l’entoure. 

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

Day 101, orbit 1567 — 100 days in space already… Living and working aboard the International Space Station is becoming second nature, but each morning, as I open the Cupola shutters, I’m reminded of how extraordinary it really is. 

Over these past weeks, I’ve been constantly challenged, amazed, and inspired – by the work, by the views, and by the incredible teams on the ground who make all of this possible.

Looking forward to the next 100 days!

--

Jour 101, orbite 1567 – Déjà 100 jours dans l’espace… Vivre et travailler à bord de la Station spatiale internationale est presque devenu la routine. Et pourtant, chaque matin, en ouvrant les volets de la Cupola, la vue me rappelle à quel point cette aventure est extraordinaire.

Ces dernières semaines m’ont challengée, émerveillée et inspirée à travers le travail, les vues à couper le souffle et les équipes formidables au sol qui rendent tout cela possible.

Hâte de découvrir ce que les 100 prochains jours me réservent ! 

The molten core, which swirls about 2200 km beneath our feet, generates Earth’s geomagnetic field as it moves. By measuring small changes in the magnetic field, scientists have historically observed the core flowing mainly westwards. But in 2010, it unexpectedly changed direction deep beneath the Pacific Ocean and started moving strongly eastwards. The reasons for this unexplained reversal in the flow of molten material are still a mystery but satellites, including ESA’s Swarm and CryoSat, provided data that has now been analysed and published.

The study, published in the Journal Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior, analyses both ground observations and satellite data between 1997 and 2025. The video shows the large scale of flow in the molten core between 1997 and 2025. The overturn of the flow below the Pacific and the main stable structures of the flow have been isolated. Each arrow indicates the movement of the core liquid horizontal to Earth’s surface.

Read full story: Insights into Earth’s molten outer core from space

A view from the Cupola window in mid‑April, as brightly lit cities and shipping fleets drift beneath the orbiting path of the International Space Station in this nighttime timelapse captured by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot.

On 20 May, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot conducted an in-flight call with selected media representatives live aboard the International Space Station. During the discussion, Sophie shared insights into life and research in orbit, including scientific experiments supporting human health, climate science and future space exploration.

ESA’s Smile satellite launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The rocket lifted off on at 04:52 BST / 05:52 CEST (00:52 local time) on 19 May 2026.

Smile flew to space on Vega-C flight VV29. At 35 m tall, a Vega-C weighs 210 tonnes on the launch pad and the rocket used three solid-propellant-powered stages to take Smile to orbit before the fourth liquid-propellant stage took over for a precise drop-off around Earth.Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Smile will use four science instruments to study how Earth responds to the solar wind from the Sun. In doing so, Smile will improve our understanding of solar storms, geomagnetic storms and the science of space weather.

Access the version without music or on‑screen text.