The spiral galaxy NGC 1309, located 100 million light-years away, has become a cosmic laboratory. The Hubble Telescope recorded the supernova SN 2012Z within it, a unique Type Iax event that did not destroy the star, but instead created a surviving remnant called a 'zombie star', providing unprecedented insight into stellar explosions
The European Space Agency (ESA) is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of Open Days across Europe. Discover how to visit key centres in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, meet scientists and engineers, and experience up close the groundbreaking missions and technologies that are shaping the future.
NASA's Europa Clipper probe conducted a key test of its powerful Reason radar during a flyby of Mars. The success of the test confirmed the readiness of the instrument to explore the icy crust of Jupiter's moon Europa and search for a hidden ocean of liquid water, a crucial step in the search for extraterrestrial life.
The new Third Generation Meteosat (MTG-S1) satellite has successfully reached geostationary orbit and has been handed over to Eumetsat for management. This advanced 'sonder' with the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission revolutionises atmospheric observation, enabling faster and more accurate forecasts of extreme weather events and air quality monitoring across Europe.
Engineers have completed a key platform for ESA's ALTIUS mission, a satellite that will use an innovative probing technique to monitor ozone layer recovery and other gases in the stratosphere. This step marks the transition to the pre-launch testing phase, and the mission is key to understanding the global climate.
The European Space Agency launches the Vigil mission at the unique Lagrange point 5. This space guard will provide crucial early warnings of solar storms, protecting our critical infrastructure such as satellites, power grids, and communications from the devastating effects of space weather.