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ESA - Top Multimedia News

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA Top Multimedia
ESA Top Multimedia

ESA Top Multimedia

October 28th, 2025 05:24:00 EDT -0400 Hurricane Melissa barrels through the Caribbean
This image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission show Hurricane Melissa as it barrelled through the Caribbean Sea
October 28th, 2025 09:00:00 EDT -0400 The Red Spider Nebula, caught by Webb
The Red Spider Nebula (Webb)
October 27th, 2025 11:12:00 EDT -0400 Sentinel-1D encapsulated inside Ariane 6 fairing
Sentinel-1D encapsulated inside Ariane 6 fairing
October 24th, 2025 04:14:00 EDT -0400 Focusing on NGC 3370
Focusing on NGC 3370
October 24th, 2025 04:00:00 EDT -0400 Earth from space: Likouala-aux-Herbes river, Congo
This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures the meandering course of the Likouala-aux-Herbes river in the Republic of the Congo.
October 23rd, 2025 05:59:00 EDT -0400 Republic of Cyprus signs Associate Agreement with ESA
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy of the Republic of Cyprus sign the agreement in Paris.
October 21st, 2025 09:00:00 EDT -0400 Ariane 6 core stage verticalisation for VA265
Ariane 6 core stage verticalisation for VA265
October 20th, 2025 08:57:00 EDT -0400 Argonaut in LUNA
A European lunar landscape: a 1:1 model of ESA’s Argonaut lunar lander at Europe’s Moon on Earth, LUNA.
October 21st, 2025 03:00:00 EDT -0400 First image of nitrogen dioxide from Sentinel-4
First image of nitrogen dioxide from Sentinel-4
October 17th, 2025 04:11:00 EDT -0400 A well-studied spiral
A well-studied spiral
October 17th, 2025 04:00:00 EDT -0400 Earth from Space: Chilean glaciers
The changing face of the Chilean glaciers in the Laguna San Rafael National Park is featured in these satellite images from 1987 and 2024.
October 16th, 2025 10:01:00 EDT -0400 Samantha Cristoforetti during helicopter training

ESA astronauts Alexander Gerst, Matthias Maurer, Samantha Cristoforetti and Thomas Pesquet completed a helicopter training course with the German Bundeswehr, Germany's federal defence forces. They participated in a three-week training programme at the International Helicopter Training Centre in Bückeburg, Germany. The course included  one week of simulator instruction followed by two weeks of practical flying in EC135 helicopters, with operations conducted over central Germany and in mountainous terrain in the German Alps.

Helicopter training offers a realistic analogue for the dynamics of planetary landings, requiring capabilities such as vertical take-off and landing, terrain-based decision-making, and high levels of coordination and situational awareness. These skills are essential for future human spaceflight missions, including lunar landings, where astronauts will descend to the surface using a human landing system and later launch back to orbit. Helicopter manoeuvres closely mirror these mission phases, helping astronauts build proficiency in environments that demand precision and adaptability.

Alexander and Matthias began the course in mid-September, with Samantha and Thomas joining at the beginning of October. The group formally graduated from training on 17 October, marking a key milestone in Europe's preparations for future missions to the Moon and operations on the lunar surface.

October 16th, 2025 11:12:00 EDT -0400 ESA 50 anniversary at ESAC - Family picture
October 16th, 2025 04:11:00 EDT -0400 First bedrest samples arrive at exploration biobank in Portugal
First bedrest samples arrive at exploration biobank in Portugal
October 10th, 2025 09:25:00 EDT -0400 Sentinel-1D being moved for fuelling
Sentinel-1D being moved for fuelling