Your search:
142 result(s) in 0.04 s
-
DUKAS_188886287_NUR
NG-23 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ascends to orbit after launching from complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft towards the International Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
DUKAS_188886276_NUR
NG-23 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ascends to orbit after launching from complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft towards the International Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
DUKAS_188886271_NUR
NG-23 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ascends to orbit after launching from complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft towards the International Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
DUKAS_188886251_NUR
NG-23 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ascends to orbit after launching from complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft towards the International Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
DUKAS_188886226_NUR
NG-23 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ascends to orbit after launching from complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft towards the International Space Station. (Photo by Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto) -
DUKAS_131619960_EYE
Dragon return from International Space Station - infographic
The SpaceX Crew Dragon is launched on a Falcon 9 rocket and brings four astronauts to the International Space Station. Launching from Cape Canaveral at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, the spacecraft is the third type to bring ESA astronauts to space – and return to Earth.
Credit: ESA–K. Oldenberg / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA–K. Oldenberg / eyevine -
DUKAS_131619897_EYE
Crew-3 launch to the Space Station
ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and NASA astronaut Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron liftoff to the International Space Station in the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft “Endurance”.
Collectively known as “Crew-3”, the astronauts were launched from launchpad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. They will spend around six months living and working aboard the orbital outpost before returning to Earth.
It is the first space mission for Matthias, who is the 600th human to fly to space. He chose the name “Cosmic Kiss” for his mission as a declaration of love for space.
Matthias has a background in materials science and looks forward to supporting a wide range of science and research in orbit. The work he carries out throughout his mission will contribute to the success of future space missions and help enhance life on Earth.
Credit: Stephane Corvaja / ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
Stephane Corvaja / ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_131619836_EYE
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 Splashdown
ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, left, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Aki Hoshide, right, are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission is the second operational mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani / ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
NASA/Aubrey Gemignani / ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_131619796_EYE
Ariane 5 booster transfer
Ariane 5 parts are coming together in the launch vehicle integration building for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
The Ariane 5 core stage is 5.4 m diameter and 30.5 m high. On 6 November it was taken out of its shipping container and raised vertical.
At launch it will contain 175 t of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants. With its Vulcain 2 engine it provides 140 t of thrust. It also provides roll control during the main propulsion phase. This rolling manoeuvre will ensure that all parts of the payload are equally exposed to the sun which will avoid overheating of any elements of Webb.
Two boosters followed. They are 3 m in diameter and 31 m high. This week they will be positioned on the launch table and then anchored to the core stage. Engineers will then carry out mechanical and electrical checks. Each booster contains 240 t of solid propellant, together they will provide 1200 t of thrust which is 90 percent of the thrust at liftoff.
On the countdown to launch, the Vulcain 2 engine is ignited first. A few seconds later, when it reaches its nominal operating level, the two boosters are fired to achieve a thrust of about 1364 t at liftoff.
Webb will be the largest, most powerful telescope ever launched into space. As part of an international collaboration agreement, ESA is providing the telescope’s launch service using the Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Working with partners, ESA was responsible for the development and qualification of Ariane 5 adaptations for the Webb mission and for the procurement of the launch service by Arianespace.
Webb is an international partnership between NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
These activities mark the beginning of a five-week campaign to prepare the Ariane 5 launch vehicle which runs in parallel with teams preparing Webb, which started three weeks earlier. Soon Webb will meet Ariane 5 and teams will unite for the final integration for l
© ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE / Optique vidéo du CSG -
DUKAS_131619830_EYE
Ariane 5 liftoff
On 23 October 2021, Ariane 5 flight VA255 lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to deliver two telecom satellites, SES-17 and Syracuse-4A to their planned orbits.
With a launch performance of 11.2 t, and a combined payload mass of about 10 263 kg, this is Ariane 5’s heaviest payload to geostationary transfer orbit so far.
Flight VA255 was the 111th Ariane 5 mission.
Credit: S MARTIN / ESA / CNES / ARIANESPACE / ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_131619950_EYE
Ariane 5 transfer
Ariane 5 was transferred from the final assembly building to the launch pad in preparation for launch on flight VA255 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Credit: P BAUDON / ESA / CNES / ARIANESPACE / ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_131619895_EYE
Ariane 5 transfer
Ariane 5 was transferred from the final assembly building to the launch pad in preparation for launch on flight VA255 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Credit: P BAUDON / ESA / CNES / ARIANESPACE / ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_131619799_EYE
Ariane 5 on the launch pad
Ariane 5 on the launch pad with two telecom satellites, SES-17 and Syracuse-4A, stowed in the fairing in preparation for flight VA255 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 23 October 2021.
Credit: JM GUILLON / ESA / CNES / ARIANESPACE / ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_131619964_EYE
SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts during a training session
The astronauts of SpaceX Crew-3 pose for a portrait in their suits during a training session inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. From left to right, they are: ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron. Thomas is the Pilot, and Matthias and Kayla are both Mission Specialists.
Credit: SpaceX / ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
SpaceX / ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_127424470_EYE
Space suspense
Space suspense.
It has been an emotional time Ð years of delays, a tense countdown, a mighty launch and then hiccups in orbit for RussiaÕs science module ÔNaukaÕ together with its travelling companion, the European Robotic Arm (ERA).
The duo is destined to upgrade the International Space Station with a new research facility and a walking robot upon their arrival tomorrow, 29 July. ÔNaukaÕ, also known as the Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM), is the largest space lab ever launched into space by Russia.
Philippe Schoonejans, project manager of the robotic arm for ESA, took this picture a few kilometres away from the launch pad while the Proton-M rocket soared into the sky from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, on 21 July. He was not alone Ð a dozen colleagues from ESA and the European space industry witnessed the historic launch.
ÒWhat an incredible power and what a rattling noise. First, I saw it go and only later the sound came and I felt my shirt move! It was a very emotional moment to see the ERA going into space,Ó he recalls.
Philippe sighed with relief after waiting 14 years for a liftoff that kept being pushed back. Both Nauka and ERA have had a history of delays and programmatic challenges along the way. And yet again, adversity insisted in being part of the journey to the International Space Station.
As expected, Nauka deployed its solar panels and antennas about 13 minutes after launch, and the eight-day journey to the Space Station began.
However, soon after missing telemetry was reported at the mission control centre in Moscow, Russia. The glitch was detected when the spacecraft did not complete its first burn, aimed at raising its orbit.
During the whole week, flight engineers have been busy running critical propulsion tests and carrying out orbital corrections.
As if this were not enough, the uncertainty was inten (FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_124231898_EYE
20 years of Europeans on the Space Station
20 years of Europeans on the Space Station. The International Space Station has been orbiting Earth for over two decades, and the first European astronaut to arrive was Umberto Guidoni on 21 April 2001. This month ESA celebrates 20 years of ESA astronauts on the International Space Station. The next to be launched, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, is scheduled to ride to the Station on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on 22 April 2021 under NASA’s commercial crew programme.
Umberto flew to the Space Station on the US Space Shuttle STS-100 mission that was launched on 19 April 2001. This picture shows him in the Russian Zvezda Service Module after opening the hatch on 23 April between the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station. The Dragon spacecraft that will fly Thomas to space almost exactly 20 years later is also called Endeavour and leaves from the same launch facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. It will be the first ESA launch from the USA in over a decade.
The 11-day STS-100 mission was the 9th Shuttle visit to the International Space Station and included two spacewalks. The main payloads were the Italian-built Raffaello multi-purpose pressurised logistics module and Canada's giant robotic arm, that went on to help build the International Space Station to the football-field-sized outpost it is today, with three laboratory modules, an airlock and more.
Since Umberto’s mission, there have been 26 further ESA astronaut missions to the International Space Station, with astronauts flying to Station on either the Russian Soyuz or US Space Shuttle spacecraft.
Thomas’ mission will be the 28th mission for ESA, with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer already lined up for his first flight later this year, and ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti scheduled for the 30th ESA International Space Station mission in 2022.
Umberto went on to become a member of the European Parliament after his historic flight.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevi
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_131619800_EYE
Crew Dragon Endeavour docked to the International Space Station
SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour that brought JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet to the International Space Station in 2021, the Crew-2 flight. The picture was taken shortly on 26 April 2021, shortly after their arrival at the orbital outpost.
Thomas shared this image on social media with the caption:
"We hit the ground running on the Space Station ! Weíve been here for 48 hours and the whole crew is full at work on research. This is what will be a frequent work location for me: the European Columbus laboratory, early in the morning with no one inside, and super busy with 3 experiments and 5 people inside today! Looks like rush hour metro in London. Exciting times for space research!!! As we are 11 on the International Space Station and there are only 6 sleeping stations (soon we will have 7), the departing crew is camping out. Yesterday Commander Shannon Walker handed over the keys to Aki Hoshide who is now the commander of the second part of Expedition 65. The departing crew wore matching shirts. Crew-1 picked blue, weíre more going with the black and orange kind of vibeÖ The 11 people up here required spacecraft to got here so for the first time, we have 2 SpaceX Crew Dragons docked to the Space Station at the same time, one on the forward docking port (ours), and one on the zenith docking port (Crew-1ís). The good thing is that from their windows, you get an absolutely beautiful view of our vehicleÖ but not vice-versa (our windows face downwards, toward Earth. Our capsule is more beautiful anyway (yes, there is a slight change in the paint job) "
Credit: ESA/NASA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA/NASA / eyevine -
DUKAS_124231897_EYE
Falcon 9 Crew Dragon getting readied for the launch of Crew-2.
Falcon 9 Crew Dragon getting readied for the launch of Crew-2.
A Falcon 9 Crew Dragon getting readied for the launch of Crew-2 on launch pad 39A on 22 April 2021 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is returning to the International Space Station on his second spaceflight.
The mission, which is called Alpha, will see the first European to launch on a US spacecraft in over a decade. Thomas is flying on the Crew Dragon, alongside NASA astronauts Megan MacArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide.
After a delay due to difficult weather the launch is now planned for 23 April 2021 05:49 EDT / 11:49 CEST.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_124677770_EYE
Meet the British brothers competing for a place on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project. The first civilian mission to the Moon is planned for 2023 - but will Max or Charlie Denison-Pender be on board at lift-off?
Artist Max Denison-Pender, 23, and his brother Charlie, 21, an aerospace engineering student at Brunel University pictured at Max’s studio, London, UK. They are vying for a place on Yusaka Meazawa’s rocket around the moon.
The pair have applied, separately, to be among the first ever tourists in space, on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX craft, thereby making history. Max and Charlie are not alone in setting their sights so high. China is launching its own space station next year, NASA has just flown a helicopter on Mars, and the world’s richest entrepreneurs are engaged in what has been dubbed “the billionaire space race”.
© Rii Schroer / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
Rii Schroer / eyevine -
DUKAS_124677772_EYE
Meet the British brothers competing for a place on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project. The first civilian mission to the Moon is planned for 2023 - but will Max or Charlie Denison-Pender be on board at lift-off?
Artist Max Denison-Pender, 23, and his brother Charlie, 21, an aerospace engineering student at Brunel University pictured at Max’s studio, London, UK. They are vying for a place on Yusaka Meazawa’s rocket around the moon.
The pair have applied, separately, to be among the first ever tourists in space, on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX craft, thereby making history. Max and Charlie are not alone in setting their sights so high. China is launching its own space station next year, NASA has just flown a helicopter on Mars, and the world’s richest entrepreneurs are engaged in what has been dubbed “the billionaire space race”.
© Rii Schroer / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
Rii Schroer / eyevine -
DUKAS_124677764_EYE
Meet the British brothers competing for a place on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project. The first civilian mission to the Moon is planned for 2023 - but will Max or Charlie Denison-Pender be on board at lift-off?
Artist Max Denison-Pender, 23, and his brother Charlie, 21, an aerospace engineering student at Brunel University pictured at Max’s studio, London, UK. They are vying for a place on Yusaka Meazawa’s rocket around the moon.
The pair have applied, separately, to be among the first ever tourists in space, on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX craft, thereby making history. Max and Charlie are not alone in setting their sights so high. China is launching its own space station next year, NASA has just flown a helicopter on Mars, and the world’s richest entrepreneurs are engaged in what has been dubbed “the billionaire space race”.
© Rii Schroer / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
Rii Schroer / eyevine -
DUKAS_124677767_EYE
Meet the British brothers competing for a place on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project. The first civilian mission to the Moon is planned for 2023 - but will Max or Charlie Denison-Pender be on board at lift-off?
Artist Max Denison-Pender, 23, and his brother Charlie, 21, an aerospace engineering student at Brunel University pictured at Max’s studio, London, UK. They are vying for a place on Yusaka Meazawa’s rocket around the moon.
The pair have applied, separately, to be among the first ever tourists in space, on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX craft, thereby making history. Max and Charlie are not alone in setting their sights so high. China is launching its own space station next year, NASA has just flown a helicopter on Mars, and the world’s richest entrepreneurs are engaged in what has been dubbed “the billionaire space race”.
© Rii Schroer / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
Rii Schroer / eyevine -
DUKAS_124677769_EYE
Meet the British brothers competing for a place on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project. The first civilian mission to the Moon is planned for 2023 - but will Max or Charlie Denison-Pender be on board at lift-off?
Artist Max Denison-Pender, 23, and his brother Charlie, 21, an aerospace engineering student at Brunel University pictured at Max’s studio, London, UK. They are vying for a place on Yusaka Meazawa’s rocket around the moon.
The pair have applied, separately, to be among the first ever tourists in space, on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX craft, thereby making history. Max and Charlie are not alone in setting their sights so high. China is launching its own space station next year, NASA has just flown a helicopter on Mars, and the world’s richest entrepreneurs are engaged in what has been dubbed “the billionaire space race”.
© Rii Schroer / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
Rii Schroer / eyevine -
DUKAS_124677765_EYE
Meet the British brothers competing for a place on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project. The first civilian mission to the Moon is planned for 2023 - but will Max or Charlie Denison-Pender be on board at lift-off?
Artist Max Denison-Pender, 23, and his brother Charlie, 21, an aerospace engineering student at Brunel University pictured at Max’s studio, London, UK. They are vying for a place on Yusaka Meazawa’s rocket around the moon.
The pair have applied, separately, to be among the first ever tourists in space, on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX craft, thereby making history. Max and Charlie are not alone in setting their sights so high. China is launching its own space station next year, NASA has just flown a helicopter on Mars, and the world’s richest entrepreneurs are engaged in what has been dubbed “the billionaire space race”.
© Rii Schroer / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
Rii Schroer / eyevine -
DUKAS_124677763_EYE
Meet the British brothers competing for a place on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project. The first civilian mission to the Moon is planned for 2023 - but will Max or Charlie Denison-Pender be on board at lift-off?
Artist Max Denison-Pender, 23, and his brother Charlie, 21, an aerospace engineering student at Brunel University pictured at Max’s studio, London, UK. They are vying for a place on Yusaka Meazawa’s rocket around the moon.
The pair have applied, separately, to be among the first ever tourists in space, on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX craft, thereby making history. Max and Charlie are not alone in setting their sights so high. China is launching its own space station next year, NASA has just flown a helicopter on Mars, and the world’s richest entrepreneurs are engaged in what has been dubbed “the billionaire space race”.
© Rii Schroer / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
Rii Schroer / eyevine -
DUKAS_124677766_EYE
Meet the British brothers competing for a place on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project. The first civilian mission to the Moon is planned for 2023 - but will Max or Charlie Denison-Pender be on board at lift-off?
Artist Max Denison-Pender, 23, and his brother Charlie, 21, an aerospace engineering student at Brunel University pictured at Max’s studio, London, UK. They are vying for a place on Yusaka Meazawa’s rocket around the moon.
The pair have applied, separately, to be among the first ever tourists in space, on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX craft, thereby making history. Max and Charlie are not alone in setting their sights so high. China is launching its own space station next year, NASA has just flown a helicopter on Mars, and the world’s richest entrepreneurs are engaged in what has been dubbed “the billionaire space race”.
© Rii Schroer / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
Rii Schroer / eyevine -
DUKAS_123881011_EYE
Space Coast, Florida
Space Coast, Florida.
On 22 April 2021, on Earth Day, Thomas Pesquet is planned to return to the International Space Station for his second mission, Alpha. Ahead of his launch, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Cape Canaveral, USA, in a region known as the Space Coast.
Zoom in to see this image at its full 10 m resolution or click on the circles to learn more about the features in it.
Cape Canaveral is a cape and city in Brevard County, in east-central Florida. The cape is separated from the mainland by the Banana River, Merritt Island and the Indian River from east to west.
The cape area is part of the region known as the Space Coast, and is home to the Kennedy Space Center Ð including the space shuttle landing facility, a visitorÕs centre, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and a space vehicle assembly building. Launch Complex 39A, visible along the coast, is where the Saturn V rocket carrying Apollo 11 began its voyage to the moon in 1969, carrying Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin ÔBuzzÕ Aldrin.
Before the space programme was launched, Cape Canaveral was a stretch of barren, sandy scrubland. The cape was chosen for rocket launches owing to its close proximity to the equator. As the linear velocity of EarthÕs surface is greatest towards the equator, the southerly location of the cape allows for rockets to take advantage of this by launching eastward Ð in the same direction as EarthÕs rotation.
The space centre is included in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, visible in the top of the image, which occupies more than 550 sq km of estuaries and marshes. It preserves the habitat of around 1000 plant and 500 wildlife species, included several endangered species. The city of Cape Canaveral lies just south of the space centre and around 8 km north of Cocoa Beach (visible in the bottom of the image).
It is from here whereCredit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_123568468_EYE
SpaceX Crew-2
SpaceX Crew-2 Launch Simulation. Location: SpaceX headquaqrters, Rocket Road, Hawthorne, California. Crew-2 in gear.
As ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet gets closer to launch, it's time to meet the crew. In the words of Thomas: "I don't mean to show off but this crew might have the most combined experience in spaceflight history!!!! (I'm sure the internet will take on the task to do the maths), and more importantly they're the best teammates ever. We had the chance to train in our shiny new spacesuits recently in Hawthorne where SpaceX is based, and we snapped a few pictures. Let me introduce them (and feel free to follow them on social media too). A special shoutout to the awesome PR and media team at SpaceX and Ashish Sharma the incredibly talented photographer who takes most of the cool SpaceX pictures you see all over the internet."Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_131619803_EYE
Thomas back in Cologne
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet talks to the press after he arrives in Cologne, Germany, on 9 November 2021 following his return from the International Space Station on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour.
The capsule transporting Crew-2 autonomously undocked from the International Space Station and after a series of burns, entered Earth’s atmosphere and deployed parachutes for a soft water-landing. Thomas and crew splashed down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, on 9 November 2021 at 03:33 GMT (04:33 CET)
Credit: P. Sebirot / ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_120341564_EYE
Copernicus Sentinel-6 lifts off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
Copernicus Sentinel-6 lifts off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The first Copernicus Sentinel-6 satellite launched on 21 November 2020 from the Space Launch Complex 4 East at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, US. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is the first ESA-developed satellite to be given a ride into space on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_120859521_EYE
Sea-level monitoring satellite lifts off
Sea-level monitoring satellite lifts off. The Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite was launched on 21 November 2020 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, US.
This latest Copernicus satellite will continue the long-term record of reference measurements, extending the record of sea-level height into a fourth decade. Since sea-level rise is a key indicator of climate change, accurately monitoring the changing height of the sea surface over decades is essential for climate science, for policy-making and, ultimately, for protecting the lives of those in vulnerable low-lying areas.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_120048515_EYE
Mission control ready for Sentinel liftoff
Mission control ready for Sentinel liftoff.
After months practising the critical ÔLaunch and Early Orbit PhaseÕ with a simulated Sentinel-6 spacecraft, the control team at ESAÕs Operations Centre are ready for liftoff with the real thing.
The Earth observation spacecraft from the EUÕs Copernicus programme will launch on a Space X Falcon 9 rocket at 17:17 GMT (18:17 CET) from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, US, on Saturday, 21 November.
Once ESAÕs mission control has guided the Sentinel through the critical early phase, configuring the spacecraft and performing two orbit manoeuvres to get it close to its final orbit, EUMETSAT Ð EuropeÕs weather satellite organisation Ð will then complete the final Ôorbit acquisitionÕ and take on responsibility for commissioning, routine operations and distribution of the missionÕs vital data.
This Launch and Early Orbit Phase, or LEOP, is the most risky period in a spacecraftÕs life. It's the period in which the new spacecraft begins using its solar arrays for power, wakes up to test its core functioning and manoeuvres into the correct path, all the while at its most vulnerable to the hazards of space.
The target orbit for the new mission is a low-Earth orbit at about 1300 km altitude, inclined about 66 degrees with respect to the equator. This allows the satellite to map up to 95% of EarthÕs ice-free ocean every 10 days. Timing here is extremely important, as Sentinel-6 needs to fly in tandem with the Jason 3 spacecraft it is replacing, falling into position behind it with a separation of just 30 seconds, or about 230 kilometres.
This is why simulations and dress rehearsals are so important Ð they give the team the chance to go through seamless scenarios as well as problem-solve and brainstorm during ones in which something goes wrong. This picture was taken during the Sentinel-6 dress rehearsal on 12 November, and shows Ground Operations Manager Brett Durret Ôon consoleÕ in ESAÕs Main Control Room
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_117908949_EYE
Vega lifts off
Vega lifts off.
On 2 September 2020, Vega flight VV16 lifted off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana to progressively deliver 53 light satellites into Sun-synchronous orbits at 515 km and 530 km altitude on a mission lasting 124 minutes.
This proof-of-concept flight demonstrates and validates a new rideshare launch service for light satellites using the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser developed by ESA. The SSMS is light and has a modular design that can be configured to meet the requirements of the mission, securing anything from the smallest 1 kg CubeSats up to 500 kg minisatellites.
There were 21 customers sharing this launch.
ESA has contributed to the development of four payloads on board – the 113 kg ESAIL microsatellite and three CubeSats: Simba, Picasso and FSSCat which carries pioneering AI technology named ?-sat-1.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_120859514_EYE
Ariane 5 liftoff
Ariane 5 liftoff. On 15 August 2020, Ariane 5 flight VA253 lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana and delivered two telecom satellites Galaxy-30 and BSAT-4B, and the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-2), into their planned transfer orbits.
Also on this flight, there were four notable technical modifications to Ariane 5: an onboard autonomous tracking kit called Kassav, vented nose cone from RUAG in Switzerland and new materials for a lighter upper stage and vehicle equipment bay (VEB) – the ‘brain’ of the launch vehicle.
These modifications will continue to be used on all Ariane 5 flights and also incorporated in the upcoming Ariane 6.
Flight VA253 was the 109th Ariane 5 mission.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_117591651_EYE
Ariane 5 liftoff
Ariane 5 liftoff.
On 15 August 2020, Ariane 5 flight VA253 lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana and delivered two telecom satellites Galaxy-30 and BSAT-4B, and the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-2), into their planned transfer orbits.
Also on this flight, there were four notable technical modifications to Ariane 5: an onboard autonomous tracking kit called Kassav, vented nose cone from RUAG in Switzerland and new materials for a lighter upper stage and vehicle equipment bay (VEB) – the ‘brain’ of the launch vehicle.
These modifications will continue to be used on all Ariane 5 flights and also incorporated in the upcoming Ariane 6.
Flight VA253 was the 109th Ariane 5 mission.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_117591650_EYE
Ariane 5 liftoff
Ariane 5 liftoff.
VA253 lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana and delivered two telecom satellites Galaxy-30 and BSAT-4B, and the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-2), into their planned transfer orbits.
Also on this flight, there were four notable technical modifications to Ariane 5: an onboard autonomous tracking kit called Kassav, vented nose cone from RUAG in Switzerland and new materials for a lighter upper stage and vehicle equipment bay (VEB) – the ‘brain’ of the launch vehicle.
These modifications will continue to be used on all Ariane 5 flights and also incorporated in the upcoming Ariane 6.
Flight VA253 was the 109th Ariane 5 mission.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_117272349_EYE
SpaceX Crew Dragon training
SpaceX Crew Dragon training.
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will be the first European astronaut to fly to the International Space Station on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon.
Here he is learning the systems ahead of his second space mission, Alpha, which is scheduled for launch in spring 2021. Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_117076035_EYE
Copernicus Sentinel-6
Ready to measure sea-surface height.
Copernicus Sentinel-6 carries a radar altimeter to observe changes in sea-surface topography with centimetre precision, providing insights into global sea levels. These measurements are not only critical for monitoring our rising seas, but also for climate forecasting, sustainable ocean-resource management, coastal management and environmental protection, the fishing industry, and more. The Copernicus Sentinel-6 mission will assume the critical role of monitoring sea-level change by extending the long-term measurement record of global mean sea level from space.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_117076037_EYE
SEOSAT-Ingenio
SEOSAT-Ingenio being prepared for shipment to Kourou.
SEOSAT-Ingenio at the premises of Airbus in Madrid, Spain, being prepared for shipment to EuropeÕs Spaceport in French Guiana.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_113478680_EYE
Ariane 5’s second launch of 2020
On 18 February 2020, Ariane 5 flight VA252 lifted off from EuropeÕs Spaceport in French Guiana and delivered JCSAT-17 and Geo-Kompsat-2B, into their planned transfer orbits.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_120859524_EYE
ESA’s new Sun exploring spacecraft Solar Orbiter
ESA’s new Sun exploring spacecraft Solar Orbiter launched atop the US Atlas V 411 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 04:03 GMT (05:03 CET) on 10 February 2020. An ESA-led mission with strong NASA participation, Solar Orbiter will look at some of the never-before-seen regions of the Sun, such as the poles, and attempt to shed more light on the origins of solar wind, which can knock out power grids on the ground and disrupt operations of satellites orbiting the Earth. The spacecraft will take advantage of the gravitational pull of Venus to adjust its orbit to obtain unprecedented views of the solar surface.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_113228443_EYE
Solar Orbiter liftoff
ESA’s new Sun exploring spacecraft Solar Orbiter launched atop the US Atlas V 411 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 04:03 GMT (05:03 CET) on 10 February 2020. An ESA-led mission with strong NASA participation, Solar Orbiter will look at some of the never-before-seen regions of the Sun, such as the poles, and attempt to shed more light on the origins of solar wind, which can knock out power grids on the ground and disrupt operations of satellites orbiting the Earth. The spacecraft will take advantage of the gravitational pull of Venus to adjust its orbit to obtain unprecedented views of the solar surface.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_111667493_EYE
Ariane 5 soars to space
Ariane 5 soars to space.
On 26 November 2019, Ariane 5 lifted off from EuropeÕs Spaceport in French Guiana and delivered two telecom satellites, TIBA-1 and Inmarsat-GX5, into their planned orbits.
Get close to Ariane 5's two solid rocket boosters and the Vulcain 2 engine providing the thrust at liftoff on flight VA250. Thermal insulation panels fall away in the foreground.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_111667498_EYE
Connecting the Webb
Connecting the Webb. Reaching a major milestone, engineers have successfully connected the two halves of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope for the first time at Northrop GrummanÕs facilities in Redondo Beach, California. Once it reaches space, Webb will explore the cosmos using infrared light, from planets and moons within our Solar System to the most ancient and distant galaxies.
To combine both halves of Webb, engineers carefully lifted the telescope (which includes the mirrors and science instruments) above the already-combined sunshield and spacecraft using a crane. Team members slowly guided the telescope into place, ensuring that all primary points of contact were perfectly aligned and seated properly. The observatory has been mechanically connected; next steps will be to electrically connect the halves, and then test the electrical connections.
Later, engineers will fully deploy the intricate five-layer sunshield, which is designed to keep Webb's mirrors and scientific instruments cold by blocking infrared light from the Earth, Moon and Sun. The ability of the sunshield to deploy to its correct shape is critical to mission success.
Webb is scheduled for launch on a European Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in March 2021.
The James Webb Space Telescope is an international project led by NASA with its partners, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency. As part of its contribution to the project, ESA provides the NIRSpec instrument, the Optical Bench Assembly of the MIRI instrument, the Ariane 5 launcher, and staff to support mission operations at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, USA.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_109834023_EYE
Cargo load
The Cygnus NG-12 cargo vehicle hangs out after arriving to the International Space Station on 4 November.
The latest resupply mission includes over 4 tonnes of science experiments, crew supplies, and station hardware. It also crucially includes components essential for the series of spacewalks taking place this month.
In a few weeks ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA astronaut Drew Morgan will venture out to perform a series of spacewalks four years in the making. The extravehicular activities, or EVAs, will service and enhance the dark matter-hunting Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer AMS-02.
The dark-matter hunter was launched in 2011 and records over 17 billion cosmic rays, particles and nuclei a year. Results from the particle physics detector are among the top five most-cited publications from International Space Station research.
The instrument was initially meant to run for only three years but has been so successful that its mission has been extended. However, three of the four cooling pumps have stopped functioning and will require multiple spacewalks to repair.
Luca will take a leading role in the spacewalks with the first intended to determine just how and where to intervene, and what tools will be needed for the process.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_109834028_EYE
Suitcase-sized asteroid explorer
This replica model of ESA’s ‘Miniaturised Asteroid Remote Geophysical Observer’, or M-Argo, was on display at the Agency’s recent Antennas workshop. It is the one of numerous small missions planned as part of ESA’s Technology Strategy, being presented at this month’s Space19+ Council at Ministerial Level.
This is a suitcase-sized nanospacecraft based on the CubeSat design employing standardised 10 cm cubic units within which electronic boards can be stacked and subsystems attached. M-Argo is a 12-unit CubeSat – with a 22 x 22 x 34 cm body – that would hitch a ride on the launch of a larger space mission whose trajectory takes it beyond Earth orbit, such as astronomy missions to a Sun–Earth Lagrange point.
The CubeSat would then use its own miniaturised electric thruster to take it into deep space and rendezvous with an asteroid, which it would survey using a multispectral camera and a laser altimeter to look for resources such as hydrated minerals that could be extracted in future. Other miniaturised payloads are also being considered.
“Such a small spacecraft has never independently travelled through deep space to rendezvous with an asteroid before,” comments Roger Walker, overseeing ESA’s Technology Cubesats. “It will enable the cost of asteroid exploration to be reduced by an order of magnitude or more.”
Numerous miniaturised technologies are currently being developed to enable the M-Argo mission, including the electric propulsion system, a high frequency ‘X-band’ communications system with a flat panel antenna – as seen in the image – to communicate with Earth at distances of up to 150 million km and a mechanism to steer the solar panels constantly at the Sun to generate enough power for the electric propulsion and communications systems.
The M-Argo CubeSat and its mission are currently being designed for ESA by a team consisting of Gomspace in Luxembourg and Politecnico di Milano in Italy.Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_104367729_EYE
Ariane 5 launchers with science missions onboard.
Ariane 5 launchers with science missions onboard.
If it wasnÕt for launch capabilities we would never have delved deep into the echo of the Big Bang nor lived out the adventures of Rosetta and Philae at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Nor would we have captured some of the UniverseÕs most energetic phenomena, or be on our way to the innermost planet of the Solar System. Some of ESAÕs biggest science missions only got off the ground Ð literally Ð thanks to the mighty Ariane 5, one of the most reliable launchers that gives access to space from EuropeÕs Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
ESA has been using the Ariane family of launch vehicles right back since Ariane 1, which launched the comet-chaser Giotto, ESAÕs first deep space mission, in 1985. Later, the astrometry satellite Hipparcos rode into space on an Ariane 4 in 1989 and the Infrared Space Observatory launched in 1995.
One of the first Ariane 5 flights took XMM-Newton into space twenty years ago, in December 1999 (leftmost image). The X-ray space observatory is an impressive workhorse, enabling ground-breaking discoveries on a range of cosmic mysteries from enigmatic black holes to the evolution of galaxies across the Universe.
SMART-1, EuropeÕs first mission to the Moon, got its ride to space in 2003 (second image from left). It was used to test solar electric propulsion and other technologies, while performing scientific observations of the Moon. BepiColombo launched in 2018 (far right) on the 101st Ariane 5 launch; it is using electric propulsion, in combination with planetary gravity assists, to reach Mercury.
In between, Rosetta began its ten year journey through the Solar System starting with a boost into space on an Ariane 5 (middle image), and in 2009 Herschel and Planck shared a ride on the same launcher (second from right) from which they would both proceed to the second Lagrange point, L2, 1.5 million km from Earth in the opposite direction to the Sun, to reveal the Universe in new
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_104367730_EYE
Ariane 6
First half-shell of Ariane 6 fairing.
With the help of ESA, RUAG Space developed an out-of-autoclave process where the carbon-fibre shells of the rocket fairing are cured in an industrial oven instead of an autoclave. It reduces cost and saves time.
The first fairing manufactured in this way was flown on Ariane 5, flight VA238 on 28 June 2017. Vega began using the new type of fairing on 1 August 2017.
Ariane 6 and Vega?C fairings will also be produced in the same way. The first half-shell of Ariane 6 (pictured) has been made.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_104367732_EYE
Ariane 6
CSG - ELA-4 construction site for Ariane 6.
The ELA-4 (French: l'Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 4) launch site is currently undergoing construction and is intended as the future launch site for the Ariane 6 launch vehicle.
Both the launch pad itself and the BAL (Fench: B‰timent dÕAssemblage Lanceur) - the launcher assembly building are being worked on for use with Ariane 6.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
DUKAS_104367733_EYE
Ariane 6
Ariane 6 tank for the core stage.
An ArianeGroup facility in Les Mureaux, France, hosts the largest friction stir welding machines in Europe for producing the Ariane 6 cryogenic tanks for Ariane 6Õs core stage.
Credit: ESA / eyevine
Contact eyevine for more information about using this image:
T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709
E: info@eyevine.com
http://www.eyevine.com
(FOTO: DUKAS/EYEVINE)
ESA / eyevine -
