European Space Agency

Companies have diverging views on the future of European launch
Arianespace and German launch startups Isar Aerospace and Rocket Factory Augsburg are moving towards first launches next year but have mixed views on how the European launch sector has and should develop.

Vega C lifts off on maiden flight
Europe’s new Vega C medium-lift rocket lifted off on its maiden flight July 13, carrying an Italian physics satellite and six cubesats.

Four technology goals ESA favors for honing Europe’s competitive edge
Europe’s space industry won’t be able to keep its technological edge without government support, the European Space Agency concludes in a report released ahead of the Space19+ ministerial conference.

ESA ministerial preview: Building the pillars for Europe’s future in space
With ESA set to convene its triennial ministerial later this month, SpaceNews spoke with ESA Director General Jan Woerner about his hopes for Space19+

Space agency leaders discuss ever-expanding roles for AI
At the Space Tech Expo, space agency leaders said artificial intelligence will play key roles in many space programs of the future.

ESA Director General calls for aggressive action on space debris
Rather than waiting for international consensus on measures to mitigate the problem of space debris, space agencies and companies should take immediate action, said Jan Woerner, European Space Agency director general.

ESA turns to NASA to assist in crucial ExoMars parachute tests
ESA needs to succeed with two upcoming parachute tests or will see the ExoMars 2020 landing mission slip to 2022.

European Commission, fearing brain drain to US, takes sharper look at space investment strategy
Commissioners speaking this week at the Conference on European Space Policy in Brussels said the continued reservations of European investors about financing space startups is hampering Europe’s ability to keep pace with similar startup activity in the United States.

Urban planning for the Moon Village
The first thing to remember about Moon Village is that it’s not a village on the moon.

Satellite operators don’t know what to buy, but ESA is still helping European manufacturers get ready to sell
How does ESA decide what technology to invest in when few have confidence on what operators will want? Three experts overseeing ARTES, the European Space Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems division, explain.