European Space Agency

As ESA’s Hera planetary defence mission flew past planet Mars it autonomously locked onto dozens of impact craters and other prominent surface features to track them over time, in a full-scale test of the self-driving technology that the spacecraft will employ to navigate around its target asteroids.

#TagderRaumfahrt in #Leipzig im #MDR bei #MDRaktuell https://www.mdr.de/mdr-aktuell-nachrichtenradio/audio/audio-2899682.html & im #MDRSachsenspiegel: https://www.mdr.de/video/mdr-videos/a/video-911586.html / @leibnizwgl @DLR #EarthCARE @esa

Airbus Defence and Space will build the landing platform for ESA’s ExoMars rover, replacing a critical component originally to be provided by Russia.

The UK Engagement with Space Committee was established by the House of Lords in January 2024. As a special inquiry committee, its primary aim is to examine how the UK can effectively engage with the rapidly evolving global space industry and ensure that national policies, regulations and investments serve the country’s long-term interests.

During its 24 March session, the committee heard from six expert witnesses across two panels. The second panel focused on the United Kingdom’s need to develop its own launch capacity and featured testimony from Scott Hammond, Deputy CEO of SaxaVord Spaceport; Alan Thompson, Head of Government Affairs at Skyrora; and Adam Baker, Co-founder of UK Launch Services.

In response to a question asking what the case was for the UK possessing a sovereign launch capability, Adam Baker explained that the country was the “only well-developed space economy in the world who not only doesn’t have it, but we did have it, and we gave it away.” This is a reference to the UK’s decision to cancel its Black Arrow launch programme in the early 1970s, despite having successfully placed a satellite into orbit.

#TagderRaumfahrt – auch in #Leipzig!

Am Tag der Raumfahrt öffnen am 28. und 29. März 2025 viele Einrichtungen in Deutschland ihre Tore oder starten Aktionen zum Mitmachen. Mit dabei auch @tropos_de im #Wissenschaftspark Leipzig in der Permoser Straße 15 am Freitag, den 28.03.25 17:00-19:00. Wir zeigen wie #Laser die #Wetter- und #Klima-Beobachtungen revolutionieren. Die #Lidar-Technik hat neue Einblicke in die Wolken möglich gemacht:
https://www.tropos.de/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/details/erster-tag-der-raumfahrt-auch-in-leipzig

#EarthCARE @esa @DLR @leibnizwgl

During last week's 2nd EarthCARE in-orbit validation workshop of @esa & @jaxa_en , Level-2 products were made public!
Learn more via ESA here: https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/news/level-2-data-boost-earthcare-s-profiling-power

During a press briefing following the 332nd ESA Council meeting, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher announced that the agency will publish a call for proposals for the European Launcher Challenge in the coming week.

Announced in November 2023, the European Launcher Challenge is intended to support the development of sovereign launch capabilities and, ultimately, a successor to Ariane 6. While few specifics have been confirmed, early indications suggest the programme will offer multiple awards of €150 million each.

During his annual press briefing in January 2025, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher stated that the agency would publish a call for proposals, which the agency calls an Invitation to Tender, “around the February timeframe.” However, this tentative timeline wasn’t realized. The Director General has now said that the call will be published next week.

French launch startup MaiaSpace has secured its first commercial customer, signing a launch services agreement with in-space logistics company Exotrail.

MaiaSpace is developing a small, two-stage, partially reusable rocket called Maia that will be capable of delivering 1,500 kilograms to low Earth orbit when launched in its expendable configuration. With the addition of its Colibri kick stage, the 50-meter Maia rocket will add an additional 1,000 kilograms to its payload capacity. MaiaSpace currently expects to launch the inaugural flight of Maia from the old Soyuz launch facility at the Guiana Space Centre in 2026.

On 20 March, MaiaSpace announced that it had signed a multi-launch agreement with Exotrail to carry its Spacevan orbital transfer vehicle from “as early as 2027.”