Earth's orbit faces a threat from thousands of satellites and millions of pieces of debris. The European Space Agency (ESA) is developing a solution through the CREAM project – an automated system for risk assessment and collision avoidance, which reduces human error and lays the groundwork for future “traffic rules” in space.
Tomorrow's launch of the MetOp-SG-A1 satellite with the Ariane 6 rocket from Kourou begins a new era of Earth observation. This advanced satellite, which also carries the Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument, brings a drastic improvement in the accuracy of weather forecasts, climate analysis and for the first time enables detailed daily monitoring of pollution and air quality globally.
After a productive mission on the International Space Station, the crew of the Crew-10 prepares to return. They conducted dozens of experiments, from investigating the impact of microgravity on the human body and aging to testing new technologies for growing food and producing medicines in space, the results of which will also be applied on Earth.
The James Webb Space Telescope has provided the strongest evidence for the existence of a planet with a mass of Saturn in our closest star system, Alpha Centauri. This potential gas giant is located in the habitable zone of a sun-like star, which raises new questions about the formation of planets and the possibility of life on its moons.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the sharpest images yet of the rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, revealing new details about its size and composition. This icy traveller from another star system is speeding at 210,000 km/h, and scientists are preparing for future visitors with the Comet Interceptor mission.
New spectacular images from the Mars Express spacecraft reveal the western edge of Acheron Fossae, a vast system of cracks on Mars. This ancient landscape testifies to the Red Planet's turbulent geological past, with evidence of slow rock glaciers and dramatic climate change caused by changes in the tilt of the Martian axis.