→ HIGHLIGHTS

2017
2
 → SELECTED
Now that Sentinel-2B has
joined its twin in orbit,
we can look forward to
many more stunning
images of the Earth, like
this one of Crotone, Italy.

HIGHLIGHTS
Working together, the two
Copernicus Sentinel-2
satellites can image the
entire globe every five days,
providing a wealth of data
for monitoring the health
of our planet.

January to March 2017

The year got off to Developing new space technology is always

challenging, but persistence pays off. Following
an inspiring start a long and occasionally bumpy journey, ESA’s
Aeolus satellite reached a major milestone in
with a successful January with the fitting of its revolutionary

outcome for ESA’s wind-mapping instrument, Aladin.

ambitious new In February, ESA introduced the newest member

of its astronaut corps, Mathias Maurer. He
Aeolus satellite. follows in the footsteps of colleagues, including
ESA Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who completed
a marathon spacewalk the previous month.
Thomas spent nearly six hours inspecting
and repairing parts outside the International
Space Station.

ESA’s XMM-Newton found a very special pulsar in

late February. The spinning remains of a once-
massive star, this pulsar was a thousand times
brighter than previously thought possible. It was
also the most distant of its kind ever found. The
pulsar’s light had travelled 50 million light-years
before being detected by XMM-Newton, ESA’s
nearly 20-year old X-ray space observatory. Quite
impressive for a spacecraft originally slated for a
two-year mission!

While ESA’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites

continue to provide a wealth of information
about our climate, atmosphere and oceans, a
trio of Swarm satellites have been mapping the
magnetic field of Earth’s crust. In March, after
just three years collecting data, the most-detailed
map to-date of this magnetic field was released.
3
 → TUNING IN TO SATURN

For the first few months of the year, ESA’s Deep

Space Antennas in Western Australia and Argentina
were listening for radio signals from Cassini on its
final tour of Saturn, 1.6 billion kilometres away.
Equipped with advanced tracking technology, these
antennas can communicate with spacecraft across
vast distances of space. They form part of a global
ESA tracking station network that provides more than
15 000 hours of tracking support each year.
The data collected from Cassini by ESA, in close
cooperation with NASA, will help scientists to study
Saturn’s atmosphere and its rings, bringing us closer
to understanding the planet’s origins.
4
The requisite space selfie! Nice reflection
of Earth in the helmet. Unbelievable
feeling to be your own space vehicle.

Thomas Pesquet, ESA Astronaut

→ THOMAS PESQUET’S FIRST SPACEWALK

On 13 January 2017, ESA Astronaut Thomas Pesquet completed his first-

ever spacewalk. Together with NASA’s Shane Kimbrough, he spent nearly
six hours outside the International Space Station completing a battery
upgrade to its power system.
Thomas and Shane’s speedy work allowed them to perform a number of
extra tasks, too. They retrieved a failed camera, fitted a protective cover
on an unused docking port, moved handrails in preparation for future
spacewalks and took pictures of external facilities for ground control to
analyse. All in a day’s work, for astronauts!

5
→ FIRST FLIGHT FOR SMALLGEO

The first of a new series of SmallGEO

satellite designs, the Hispasat 36W-1 With ARTES, we
telecom satellite, lifted off from Europe’s
Spaceport in Kourou on 28 January. The
are more than ever
three-tonne satellite was launched by a geared-up to face
Soyuz rocket and placed in transfer orbit
29 minutes later. a game-changing
SmallGEO is a multipurpose satellite satcom world for
platform that can accommodate a wide the benefit of
range of commercial payloads, including
telecommunications, TV broadcasting European industry.
and broadband internet services. Its
flexible, modular design makes it easier
for industries to enter the telecom Stéphane Lascar, ESA
satellite market. SmallGEO was developed
by Germany’s OHB System AG as part
of ESA’s ARTES (Advanced Research in
Telecommunications Systems) programme.

6
→ MEASURING THE WORLD’S WINDS

As the year began, engineers were busy fitting ESA’s Aeolus satellite with its
wind-measuring instrument, Aladin. Following checks, the completed satellite
was then shipped to Toulouse to test how well it could withstand the vibration
and noise of a rocket launch.
Equipped with two powerful lasers, a large telescope and ultra-sensitive
receivers, Aeolus’ Aladin instrument fires pulses of ultraviolet light into the
atmosphere to measure the world’s winds. This completely new technology will
advance our knowledge of air movements in the atmosphere and will help with
climate research and improving weather forecasts.

7
 Becoming an
astronaut is the
best job that I can
imagine. I am thrilled
to join Europe’s finest
team for missions
around Earth, to the
Moon and beyond.

Matthias Maurer, ESA Astronaut

→ A NEW ESA ASTRONAUT

In February, Matthias Maurer, from Germany, was announced as the seventh member of
the 2009 astronaut class. He was among the 10 finalists from the original selection.
Matthias has a doctorate in materials science engineering. His background in materials
science and technology, together with medical knowledge and experience as a paramedic,
provide an excellent foundation for major areas of research on the ISS.
Matthias has lived and travelled extensively abroad and is a true explorer. As a Eurocom
spacecraft communicator, he has supported many of ESA’s astronauts while they were in
space. Now Matthias will join their ranks.

8
 This very unusual object
is the most extreme
ever discovered and is
changing our ideas of how
such objects really work.

Norbert Schartel, ESA

→ A BRIGHT NEW DISCOVERY

ESA’s XMM-Newton observatory found a

pulsar one thousand times brighter than
previously thought possible. It’s also the
most distant of its kind ever detected.
Pulsars are the remains of massive
collapsed stars. They spin and send out
flashes of light that blink on and off like a
lighthouse. In just one second, this pulsar
emits the same amount of energy as our
Sun does in three and a half years.
The new discovery was the result of
a systematic search in XMM-Newton’s
data archive. Originally planned as a
two-year mission, the X-ray observatory
is still delivering results after nearly
20-years of service.
9
 → A COOL LOOK AT MARS

A new mosaic image from ESA’s Mars Express

reveals the Red Planet’s north polar ice cap with its
distinctive dark spiralling troughs.
The ice cap is made up of many layers of water ice
and dust. During the cold Martian winter, it is covered
by a thin seasonal layer of frozen carbon dioxide. The
presence of water ice at both poles could be useful for
crewed missions to the Red Planet.
Strong winds are thought to have played a role in
slowly shaping the ice cap’s grooved surface, blowing
from its domed centre and twisted by the same
force that makes hurricanes spiral on Earth.

10
With this launch
we are advancing
the Copernicus
programme – the
most sophisticated
Earth observation
system in the
world.

Jan Wörner,
ESA Director General

→ A NEW SENTINEL FOR EARTH

The launch of Sentinel-2B on 7 March was the latest addition to Europe’s

ambitious Earth observation programme, Copernicus. Following three stage
separations, Vega’s upper stage delivered the 1.1 tonne satellite into its
targeted Sun-synchronous orbit, where it joined its twin, Sentinel-2A.
Together, they double the coverage of high-resolution optical imaging that is
available for environmental monitoring. Their combined 290-kilometre-wide field
of vision and frequent revisit times will provide unprecedented views of Earth.
The data they capture will help to improve agricultural practices, monitor the
world’s forests, detect pollution in lakes and coastal waters and can assist with
disaster mapping.

11
→ COMPLETE CONTROL

With Sentinel-2B successfully launched, ESA’s mission

control in Darmstadt started the challenging ‘launch
and early orbit’ phase of its mission.
During three intensive days, the mission control team
worked shifts to provide 24-hour cover, overseeing
a critical series of initial actions, including verifying
that the star trackers and GPS receiver were working
properly. This period was especially demanding since
the routine control of its twin satellite, Sentinel-2A,
also had to be maintained.
The team started the subsequent 3-month
commissioning phase with manoeuvres to position
the satellite in its final working orbit – the same as
Sentinel-2A, but on the other side of Earth.

12
What we’re seeing
so far is really
promising for our
science goals.

Håkan Svedhem, ESA

→ A PROMISING START

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), a joint endeavour between ESA
and Roscosmos, arrived at Mars in October 2016. A few weeks later, its
four science instruments were tested and calibration measurements were
made. More recent tests in March 2017 confirmed its great potential for
future observations.
The TGO’s elliptical orbit takes it from around 230 kilometres above the
surface of Mars to 98 000 kilometres. To gradually bring the spacecraft
out of its elliptical orbit requires ‘aerobraking’ – surfing in and out of the
atmosphere during the closest approach. In about a year’s time, TGO will
be in a near-circular orbit just 400 kilometres above the surface.

13
→ MAPPING MAGNETIC MYSTERIES

ESA’s Swarm satellites are providing insight into the mysteries of Earth’s magnetic field,
as well as revealing our planet’s magnetic history imprinted on Earth’s crust.
Earth’s magnetic field can be thought of as a huge cocoon that protects us from cosmic
radiation and the charged particles that bombard our planet in the solar wind. Without it,
life as we know it could not exist.
The lithosphere, the rigid outer part of Earth, generates a part of the magnetic field. After
three years of collecting data from a trio of Swarm satellites in orbit, the highest resolution
map of this magnetic field made so far has been released.

Measurements
from space have
great value.

Rune Floberghagen, ESA

14
→ ANTARCTICA IN 3D

Around 250 million measurements taken

by ESA’s CryoSat satellite over the last six
years have been used to create a unique
3D view of Antarctica, offering a snapshot
of the surface of this vast ice sheet.
The satellite’s orbit takes it to within
200 kilometres of the north and south
poles – closer than any other Earth
observation satellite.
CryoSat’s radar detects tiny variations
in the height of the ice across the
entire continent, including the steeper
continental margins where most ice
losses occur. It also maps changes in
the thickness of ice floating in the polar
oceans, which is particularly important for
monitoring climate change in the Arctic.

15
16
 → SELECTED
HIGHLIGHTS
April to June 2017

Space debris, In April, Europe’s largest-ever conference on

space debris highlighted the urgent need for
climate change coordinated international action to deal with
more than 750,000 pieces of dangerous debris
and big plans for that are now orbiting Earth.
our future in space While Earth-observing satellites are providing
made the second us with an unbiased view of how our climate
is changing and the effect this is having on our
quarter of the year planet, ESA’s Swarm mission flew through a
mysterious purple ribbon of light in the night sky,
very busy for ESA. named Steve, to help us understand the nature of
this new-found feature.

After carrying out significant experiments on

the ISS and a rough ride back to Earth, ESA
Astronaut Thomas Pesquet landed on the steppe
of Kazakhstan in early June. A few weeks later, ESA
Astronaut Alexander Gerst’s new mission name
and logo for his flight to the International Space
Station in May 2018 was revealed.

Central to ESA’s presence at the 52nd Paris Air and

Space Show was Director General Jan Wörner’s
ESA Astronaut Thomas vision for ‘Space 4.0’, an era in which the space
Pesquet and the astronauts
sector evolves from being the preserve of a few,
of Expedition 50 set a
new world record for to one with an increased number of diverse space
the most time spent on actors around the world.
scientific research on the
International Space Station. In parallel, ESA’s Cosmic Vision plan for the next
Together, they clocked two decades was finalised with the selection
up a combined 99 hours
of science in the week of LISA to measure gravitational waves and the
beginning 6 March 2017. development of PLATO to hunt for exoplanets.
17
→ SUSTAINABLE SPACE

With more than 750,000 pieces of dangerous debris

now orbiting Earth, the urgent need for coordinated
international action to ensure the long-term
sustainability of spaceflight was highlighted at Europe’s
largest-ever conference on space debris.
Key issues from the latest research into space debris
included the safe disposal of retired satellites and
rocket stages and the still uncertain challenges posed
by future mega-constellations consisting of hundreds or
thousands of spacecraft.
ESA has implemented the Space Situational Awareness
(SSA) programme to test a fully-European surveillance
network and also promotes new technologies to deal
with space debris under the Clean Space initiative.

18
 It is amazing how
a beautiful natural
phenomenon, seen
by observant citizens,
can trigger scientists’
curiosity.

Roger Haagmans, ESA

→ WHEN SWARM MET STEVE

Thanks to social media and citizen scientists chasing the northern

lights, a strange ribbon of purple light was discovered. Nobody knew
what it was, so this mysterious phenomenon was called Steve.
ESA’s Swarm mission recently flew through Steve to help scientists
understand the nature of this newly-found feature. Shimmering light
displays of auroras are beautiful and captivating, but they are also a
visual reminder of how Earth is connected to the Sun.
A better understanding of the aurora helps us to understand more
about the relationship between Earth’s magnetic field and the
charged atomic particles streaming from the Sun as the solar wind.

19
 → CORAL BLEACHING CAPTURED

Scientists observed the bleaching of

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef early this year
using satellite images. While capturing
these events from space has been difficult
in the past, Sentinel-2’s frequent revisits
and its resolution makes this possible.
The corals of the Great Barrier Reef
have now suffered two bleaching events
in successive years. Experts are very
concerned about the long-term survival of
the reef with the increased frequency
of these global warming-induced events.
The whitening coral may die, with
subsequent effects on the reef ecosystem,
impacting fisheries, regional tourism and
20
coastal protection.
This challenge sets
Europe up to be
able to take rapid
advantage of lunar
flight opportunities
as they arise.

Roger Walker, ESA

→ FLY ME TO THE MOON

Cubesats are mini-satellites used for space research. If you could

fly one to the Moon, what mission would it carry out? ESA posed
this question – and then selected four proposals to be studied in
more detail for possible flights over the coming decade.
These miniature missions included probing lunar radiation,
surveying the radio sky over the far side of the Moon, mapping
minerals and frozen gases within shadowed craters and detecting
flashes from meteoroids striking the surface.
The teams involved will compete for a prize at a workshop in
December, when there is an opportunity to develop their mission
with ESA experts at its cutting-edge Concurrent Design Facility.

21
 Glad to see Thomas and Oleg
back on Earth after another
astounding mission.

David Parker, ESA

→ THOMAS BACK ON EARTH

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet landed on the steppe of Kazakhstan on 2 June along
with Russian commander Oleg Novitsky after a four-hour flight from the ISS in their
Soyuz MS-03 capsule.
The return was routine – or as routine as you can get for a ride that requires braking
from 28 800 km/h to zero. The heat shield of their capsule had to withstand 1600°C
as it entered the atmosphere, parachutes and retrorockets provided the final braking.
While moulded seats cushioned the final bump. Routine for ESA astronauts, but still
one wild ride!
Thomas’ next voyage was more leisurely – a flight to ESA’s astronaut centre in
Cologne for debriefing and tests.

22
→ QUANTIFYING CLIMATE CHANGE

Arctic sea ice is on the decline and sea

levels continue to rise. This is clear to see,
thanks to satellites that are providing us
with an unbiased view of how our climate
is changing and the effects it is having on
our planet.

Comparing data acquired by different

satellites is complicated: technology
is constantly improving and there are
often gaps in the data between satellite
missions. To overcome this, ESA created
the Climate Change Initiative, or CCI, which
integrates datasets derived from different
Earth-observing missions. These are being
used to produce comprehensive long-term
and global records for each of the factors
influencing Earth’s climate, known as
Essential Climate Variables.

23
→ ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR SMALLGEO

Following its launch from Europe’s spaceport

in Kourou on 27 January, the first SmallGeo
satellite, H36W-1, was carefully manoeuvred
by engineers at the German Space Operations
Centre into position for in-orbit testing.
Once this was done, every part of the telecom
satellite was put through its paces. After four
months of exhaustive testing, this pioneering
SmallGEO mission had passed all its trials
with flying colours and was finally ready to
be handed over to its owner Hispasat.
H36W-1 will be the latest addition to an
existing fleet of telecommunications satellites
and will provide a commercial broadband
service for Europe, the Canary Islands and
the Americas.

24
→ THE FUTURE WRITTEN IN THE STARS

The constellations we see in the night sky are not a permanent fixture. The stars
that make up their patterns are actually continuously moving through our galaxy,
the Milky Way. These movements are far too slow for the human eye to register,
but they can be captured by high-precision instruments, such as ESA’s star-
mapping satellite Gaia.
By measuring their movements, we can rewind the trajectories of stars to study
the origins of our Galaxy, and even fast-forward millions of years into the future.
A new video, based on data from ESA’s Gaia and Hipparcos satellites, shows how
the Orion constellation will change over the next 450 000 years!

25
 → ESA ON SHOW IN PARIS

ESA made a big impression at the Paris

Air and Space Show at Le Bourget with
an exhibition pavilion flanked by two
full-scale models of the Ariane 1 and
Ariane 5 launchers.
Key to the presentation of ESA’s
programmes was ESA Director General
Jan Wörner’s vision for a new era for
the space sector called Space 4.0. He
described a new reality where space
was no longer just the preserve of a
handful of spacefaring nations, but was
open to a wider range of participants.
Fittingly, the ESA projects highlighted at
the show ranged across the spectrum,
from space science and technology to
commercial services and applications.

26
→ FOREST FIRE SEEN FROM SPACE

In June, ESA’s Proba-V minisatellite captured a forest fire raging in

central Portugal.
Satellite images revealed blackened scars across the landscape and
columns of smoke, and showcased the satellites capability to spot
active fire hotspots.
More than a thousand firefighters tackled the forest fire in the
Pedrógão Grande region, north east of Lisbon. It is believed that the
fire started by a lightning strike during an intense heatwave.
Proba-V is part of Europe’s Copernicus Earth observation programme.
This small satellite can cover the world’s entire land surface every
two days, showing details down to 100 metres in size.

27
 Horizons are a symbol
for the unknown and
when I gaze at the
horizon I cannot help
but wonder what lies
behind it.

Alexander Gerst, ESA

→ NEW MISSION NAMED

In May, Alexander Gerst revealed that Horizons was the mission name and logo
for his return to the International Space Station in 2018.
Alexander is the first of ESA’s class of 2009 astronauts to be sent into space for a
second time. He will be part of Expeditions 56 and 57, taking over as commander
for the latter.
Reminiscent of Alexander looking into space from the Cupola, the logo shows
a face gazing into the horizon above a blue band that symbolises both the
atmosphere and his first mission, Blue Dot. A stylised ISS hovers above
Earth, while a white arc extends into infinity.

28
→ A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

Key decisions for ESA’s Cosmic Vision plan for the next two decades
were made in June. The LISA trio of satellites was selected as the
third large mission in ESA’s science programme, while the planet-
hunting mission PLATO was given the green light for development.
The success of the LISA Pathfinder mission has paved the way for
a more detailed study. Three LISA spacecraft, flown in a triangular
formation, 2.5 million kilometres apart, will detect gravitational
waves from space.
Meanwhile, PLATO will hunt for exoplanets by watching thousands
of bright stars and looking for tiny, regular dips in brightness as their
planets cross in front of them.

29
30
On 29 September, Ariane

→ SELECTED
5 flight VA239 lifted off
from Europe’s Spaceport in
French Guiana and delivered
two telecom satellites into
their planned orbits. This

HIGHLIGHTS
was Ariane 5’s 95th launch,
adding to its impressive
success record and making
it one of the most reliable
launchers in the world.

July to September 2017

The third quarter In mid July, Sentinel-1 witnessed a lump of ice

break off the Larsen C ice shelf changing the
of the year saw outline of the Antarctic Peninsula forever.

new missions Following 16 months of scientific effort, LISA

Pathfinder had successfully demonstrated the
begin, plus a fond technology needed to operate ESA’s future LISA
farewell to the space observatory to study gravitational waves.

amazing Saturn On 28 July, ESA Astronaut Paolo Nespoli was

launched to the ISS to start his VITA mission:
mission, Cassini. Vitality, Innovation, Technology and Ability.
A month later his colleagues, Samantha
Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer, joined 16
Chinese astronauts for nine days of sea survival
training in China and six other ESA Astronauts
accompanied disabled children on a once-in-a-
lifetime parabolic flight.

At the end of August, the last of 22 Galileo

satellites departed ESA’s Test Centre in the
Netherlands concluding the single longest and
largest scale test campaign in the establishment’s
history.

Five decades after the inauguration of ESA’s

European Space Operations Centre, ESOC hosted
a gala open-door event for some 5000 visitors on
8 September dubbed ‘Long Night of the Stars.’

Later in September, the international Cassini

mission concluded a 13-year observation of the
Saturnian system while ESA antennas listened in.
The spacecraft had ferried the ESA Huygens probe
to Titan, which gave us unprecedented views of
the surface as it descended.
31
→ GIANT ICEBERG SPOTTED

Witnessed by the Copernicus Sentinel-1

mission, a section of ice more than twice
the size of Luxembourg has broken off the
Larsen C ice shelf, changing the outline of the
Antarctic Peninsula forever.
This gigantic iceberg is one of the largest
on record, covering about 6 000 square
kilometres and weighing more than a million
tonnes.
The iceberg may remain in the area for
decades or break up and move north into
warmer waters. Previous events at other
locations show that when a large portion of
an ice shelf is lost, the flow of glaciers behind
can speed up, contributing to sea-level rise.

Having the Copernicus

Sentinels in combination
with research missions
like CryoSat is essential
for monitoring ice volume
changes in response to
climate warming.

Mark Drinkwater, ESA

32
→ MISSION COMPLETE!

Following 16 months of scientific effort, LISA Pathfinder successfully

demonstrated the technology needed to operate ESA’s future LISA
space observatory. This will study gravitational waves – the ripples
in spacetime predicted by Albert Einstein in his General Theory of
Relativity.
With the sensitivity of LISA’s instruments assured and the scientific
mission complete, ESA’s mission control teams in Germany conducted
a series of technical tests on components and devices. They made
full use of every remaining minute until the last command was sent
on 18 July.
The test results will help to improve operational procedures and will
be available to European hardware manufacturers for future designs.

33
 → PAOLO STARTS THIRD MISSION

ESA Astronaut Paolo Nespoli, NASA Astronaut Randy

Bresnik and Roscosmos commander Sergei Ryazansky
were launched into space on 28 July from the Baikonur
cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz MS-05
spacecraft circled Earth four times to catch up with the
International Space Station six hours later.
Paolo’s mission name ‘Vita’, which stands for Vitality,
Innovation, Technology and Ability, hints at the full range
of science and experiments – some also on him – planned
for his five-month mission. Astronauts in space undergo a
form of rapid aging that is reversible when they return to
Earth, making them fascinating case studies.

34
→ TRACKING SPACE WEATHER TOGETHER

Ten spacecraft, from ESA’s Venus Express to NASA’s Voyager-2,

tracked the effect of a solar eruption as it washed through
the Solar System in August. Together, they provided a unique
perspective on this space weather event.
This was one of the largest collaborative efforts to trace the
journey of an interplanetary ‘coronal mass ejection’ from the Sun
to the far reaches of the outer Solar System.
The measurements made by this team effort will help us to
understand how space weather caused by the Sun and its release
of magnetic energy and charged particles might affect Earth.

35
 → ASTRONAUTS TEAM UP

ESA Astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti and

Matthias Maurer joined 16 Chinese astronauts
earlier this month for nine days of sea survival
training off China’s coastal city of Yantai.
Returning from space, astronauts need to be
prepared for any eventuality – including landing
in water. Sea survival is a staple of all training
but this is the first time that ESA astronauts had
joined their Chinese counterparts.
Other training opportunities and joint activities are
in the pipeline to get to know each other better.
The ultimate goal is for ESA to establish a long
term cooperation with China and ESA astronauts
to fly on China’s space station.

The reception was warm. We truly felt

the spirit of belonging to one universal
astronaut family, sharing the same
values, goals and vision.

Matthias Maurer, ESA

36
→ WEIGHTLESS WISHES

On 24 August, ESA helped a group of eight young people with

disabilities take the ride of a lifetime: a parabolic flight on the
Zero-G Airbus A310. Mentored by six ESA astronauts, the children
experienced weightlessness while they gleefully floated through
the aircraft cabin.
The children also participated in science demonstrations. These
included lighting a candle, mixing liquids of different densities,
playing ping-pong with bubbles of water and working a fidget
spinner to demonstrate the effects of microgravity.
The flight was part of the Kid’s Weightless Dreams campaign
organized by Novespace and Rêves de Gosse, an organization that
arranges aviation-related projects for kids with disabilities.
37
→ NEW AND IMPROVED!

Rocket fairings are now lighter, faster to produce and less costly thanks to
a manufacturing process adopted by RUAG Space in Switzerland through a
partnership with ESA.
The fairing protects satellites from the thermal, acoustic and aerodynamic
stresses on the ascent to space. The new process allows carbon-fibre
shells to be cured in an industrial oven instead ofa high pressure chamber
known as an autoclave. This requires fewer pieces and enables production
of very large composite panels.
The new fairings have already flown on the latest Ariane 5 and Vega
missions and fairings for the future Ariane 6 and Vega C vehicles will be
produced in the same way.

38
→ THE LAST GALILEO

On 24 August, the last of 22 Galileo satellites left ESA’s Test Centre in

the Netherlands in a protective container equipped with air conditioning,
temperature control and shock absorbers. This concluded the single
longest and largest scale test campaign in the establishment’s history.
Operated by European Test Services (ETS) B.V., ESA’s Test Centre at ESTEC
houses a collection of test equipment to simulate all aspects of spaceflight.
Besides testing radio systems, spacecraft are subjected to the equivalent
vibration, acoustic noise, vacuum and temperature extremes that they will
experience for real during their vigorous launch and the harshness of space
in orbit.

39
→ HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISSION CONTROL

Five decades after the inauguration of ESOC, ESA’s European Space

Operations Centre, in Darmstadt on 8 September 1967, the centre
hosted a gala open-door event dubbed ‘Long Night of the Stars.’
That evening, some 5000 enthusiastic visitors arrived at ESOC to
take part in Darmstadt’s best-ever space-themed street party.
Special tours took visitors to the Main Control Room, several of
the individual control rooms for missions like the Sentinels, Gaia
and Cryosat, and dedicated facilities for space debris, ground
stations and flight dynamics.
One highlight was the life-size engineering replica of the famous
Rosetta spacecraft, which was staffed by the engineers who had
flown the real Rosetta 800 million kilometres away.

40
 → CASSINI’S GRAND FINALE

In September, the international Cassini mission concluded its remarkable

exploration of the Saturnian system in spectacular style, by plunging into the
gas planet’s atmosphere.
Cassini carried ESA’s Huygens probe that landed on Titan on 14 January 2005.
During its two and half hour descent it revealed the surface that had been
previously been hidden by the moon’s thick hazy atmosphere, showing a world
with eerily Earth-like landscapes.
After touring Saturn and its moons for 13 years, Cassini spent the last five
months diving between Saturn’s rings and atmosphere in a series of 22 grand
finale orbits. During this time, ESA ground stations received signals from
Cassini and gathered crucial science data.

Cassini and Huygens

represent an
astonishing scientific,
technological, and
human achievement.

Nicolas Altobelli, ESA

41
 → 500 SPACE START-UPS FOR EUROPE

Thousands of new jobs and boosted local economies

are the direct results of ESA’s investment in young
companies through its business incubators. These have
now fostered more than 500 start-ups that adapt space
technology and satellite services for use on Earth.
From healthcare to manufacturing, sport to agriculture,
the initiative is an important driver for entrepreneurship
and the creation of new businesses, as well as
positioning Europe at the forefront of innovation.
ESA’s incubation network supports 140 start-ups every
year at its 16 centres in 13 countries, with two in
Estonia and Finland to open soon. Several more are
under preparation.

42
→ NEW IDEAS FOR MOON MISSIONS

Today’s technology could easily get us back to the Moon, but it is still
expensive to develop the ride and take everything needed to support
life with us. ESA wants our return to the Moon to be sustainable and
based on partnerships – not only with international space agencies but
also with business. A commercial approach may just be the ticket –
literally and figuratively – to making it happen.
ESA is inviting service providers with the right ideas to take part in
a one-year study that will shape this In-Situ Resource Utilisation
Demonstrator Mission and build on the legacy of Neil and Buzz.
43
44
After more than 12 years

→ SELECTED
in space, including two
years following Comet 67P/
Churyumov–Gerasimenko,
Rosetta’s historic mission
ended in 2016 with the

HIGHLIGHTS
spacecraft’s dramatic final
descent onto the comet.
Scientists analysing the final
data sent by Rosetta found
one last parting gift: a blurry
image of its touchdown site,
which was released
in September.

October to December 2017

We ended the The Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar mission is helping

to understand and predict hurricanes, essential
year with the to saving lives and property. The new technique
of seeing through hurricanes was already proven
launch of four more during hurricane Irma. The Sentinel-5P satellite

Galileo satellites delivered its first images of air pollution in

November. The results were hailed as exceptional
and a parting gift and demonstrated how the latest Copernicus
satellite is set to take the task of monitoring air
from ESA’s comet quality into a new era.

mission Rosetta. A new study published in October, revealed that

Jupiter’s auroras behave and pulse independently
of one another. Gas giant Jupiter, organic
molecules in star-forming clouds and baby
galaxies in the distant Universe are among the
first targets chosen in November for the James
Webb Space Telescope.

Assembly of the first structural element of the

90 m-high mobile gantry that will house and
protect Ariane 6 before launch was completed
on 27 November. In November, ESA committed to
extend Europe’s Vega space system capabilities
and competitiveness, and to develop Space Rider
for payload return capability.

Europe has four more Galileo navigation satellites

in the sky following their launch on 12 December
from Europe’s Spaceport on an Ariane 5 rocket.

ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli landed back on Earth

on 14 December. During his five-month mission,
Paolo completed more than 60 experiments.

45
→ SEEING THROUGH HURRICANES

The 2017 hurricane season was a harsh reminder of

the devastation brought by these vast storms. Since
understanding and predicting these powerful weather
systems is essential to saving lives and property,
scientists have developed a technique that allows the
Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar mission to help.
Radar can penetrate clouds to image the sea
underneath these destructive weather systems to probe
sea-surface wind and wave heights. This information
about the state of the sea can help to assess how
destructive a hurricane is and predict its path. The new
technique was used for the first time when hurricane
Irma struck Cuba and the Florida Keys.

46
→ STRANGE AURORAS

Jupiter experiences intense auroras that rage constantly, created

as charged particles from the Sun and the Jovian moon Io
stream towards the gas giant and interact with its atmosphere.
A new study published in Nature Astronomy in October,
revealed that the planet’s northern and southern lights
behave and pulse independently of one another—an
unexpected finding given the behaviour of Earth’s auroras,
which tend to mirror one another.
The study used ESA’s XMM-Newton and NASA’s Chandra
X-ray space observatories to observe the high-energy X-rays
produced by the auroras at Jupiter’s poles.
This composite image, from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space
Telescope, shows such an aurora on Jupiter.

47
→ A SATELLITE FOR MORROCO

On 7 November, Arianespace launched

a Vega rocket to deliver an Earth
observation satellite into orbit for the
Kingdom of Morocco. Liftoff of Vega’s
11th mission from Europe’s Spaceport
in Kourou, French Guiana came at
22:42 local time offering a stunning
night-time scene.
With a mass at liftoff of 1110 kg,
Mohammed VI-A was manoeuvred into
its target Sun-synchronous orbit about
55 minutes into the mission after a
series of burns of Vega’s upper stage.
Complying with debris regulations to
help keep space clean, Vega’s upper
stage fired a final time to burn up high
in the atmosphere over the ocean.

48
 The Orion spacecraft and service module
is an inspiring international cooperation
at the forefront of technology and
humanity’s drive for exploration.

David Parker, ESA

→ POWERING UP FOR ORION

NASA’s Orion spacecraft aims to send humans further into space than ever before,
and ESA’s European Service Module will provide the essentials for keeping the
astronauts alive and on course.
With a launch possible as early as December 2019, the first Exploration Mission-1
will circle the Moon without astronauts to lay the foundation and prove the
technology for a second mission with a crew.
In Bremen, Germany, integration of the service module is well under way, with
work already starting on the second.
The service module is based on technology from ESA’s tried-and-tested Automated
Transfer Vehicles that flew to the International Space Station on five missions.

49
 → SPACE TELESCOPE TARGETS CHOSEN

Gas giant Jupiter, organic molecules in star-forming

clouds and baby galaxies in the distant Universe are
among the first targets for the James Webb Space
Telescope once it begins casting its powerful gaze
on the Universe.
Webb is an international partnership between
NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency. As well
as providing the Ariane rocket that will launch the
observatory in 2019, Europe is contributing to two
Webb will revolutionise of the four scientific instruments.
our understanding of During its mission of a minimum of five years, Webb
the Universe and the will address key topics in modern astronomy, probing
the Universe beyond what its precursor, the Hubble
results that will come Space Telescope, can see.

out from these early

observations will mark
the beginning of a
thrilling new adventure
in astronomy.

Alvaro Gimenez, ESA

50
→ FORTY YEARS OF FORECASTS

ESA’s first Earth observation satellite, Meteosat, was launched on 23 November

1977 and was an important milestone in European cooperation in space.
Since the launch of the first Meteosat, 40 years of imagery and derived
meteorological data from it and its successors have helped to significantly
improve weather forecasting. The satellite’s record of imaging from space
constitutes an important body of evidence in climate science.
The programme always has one satellite in the operational position at
zero degrees longitude. Meteosat Second Generation offers improved resolution.
Looking to the future, Meteosat Third Generation is in development and will
guarantee continued European monitoring of the atmosphere into the 2030s.
51
→ GETTING READY FOR ARIANE 6

Assembly of the first structural element of the mobile

gantry that will house and protect Ariane 6 before launch
was completed on 27 November. The mobile gantry will be
a 90 m-high, nine-storey structure weighing 8200 tonnes.
A mobile gantry gives engineers better access to the
launcher, unlike Ariane 5, which is moved on a table to the
pad on launch day. Work platforms will enable engineers
to access the vehicle levels to vertically position Ariane
6’s central core directly on the launch table, add two or
four boosters depending on the launch configuration, and
integrate the fairing that houses the payload.

52
→ VEGA AND SPACE RIDER GET GREEN LIGHT

ESA signed two contracts on 30 November with ELV and Thales Alenia
to extend Europe’s Vega space system’s capabilities and competitiveness,
and to develop Space Rider for payload return capability.
A lower cost, more flexible upper stage engine will be developed and
extensively tested in support of the evolution of Vega beyond 2025.
Space Rider will provide Europe with an affordable reusable platform
for multiple purposes such as advanced microgravity. It will be able
to reach and stay in orbit as long as required, then deorbit and
reenter performing a ground landing. It can then be refurbished and
reused for the next mission.

53
→ FOCUS ON AIR POLLUTION

Launched on 13 October, the Sentinel-5P

satellite was already delivering its first
images of air pollution by November. The
first results were hailed as exceptional and
demonstrated how the latest Copernicus
satellite is set to take the task of monitoring
air quality into a new era.
While these first results demonstrate the
sophistication of the satellite’s state-of-the-
art Tropomi instrument, they certainly bring
the issue of air pollution sharply into focus.
The mission will map the whole planet for
pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, methane,
carbon monoxide and aerosols – all of which
affect the air we breathe and our climate –
every 24 hours.

These first images offer

a tantalising glimpse of
what’s in store and are not
only an important milestone
for the Sentinel-5P mission,
but also an important
milestone for Europe.

Josef Aschbacher, ESA

54
→ CELL SCIENCE ON THE ISS

The latest cell science experiments on the International Space Station

are helping to develop new treatments for a variety of illnesses.
In December, four biological ASI-funded experiments conducted
in Europe’s Columbus module looked into how microgravity wears
down muscle, retinal and stem cells to develop medicine and other
countermeasures. The overarching goal was to understand how to
prevent cell death.
The procedure was made easier thanks to the temperature-controlled
Kubik incubator into which ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli loaded cell
samples. After seven days, he froze the samples ahead of their return
to Earth for analysis.

55
→ GALILEO NEARS COMPLETION

Europe has four more Galileo navigation satellites in the sky following their launch on
12 December from Europe’s Spaceport on an Ariane 5 rocket. Galileo is Europe’s civil global
satellite navigation system funded and owned by the EU.
Having reached orbit, the quartet began around six months of tests – performed by the
European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency (GSA) – to check they are ready to
join the working Galileo constellation.
Only one more launch remains before the Galileo constellation is complete and delivering
global coverage. It will allow users worldwide to know their exact position in time and
space with great precision and reliability.

56
The so-called soft
landing feels like
a head-on collision
between a truck and a
small car – and you are
in the small car.

Paolo Nespoli, ESA Astronaut.

→ PAOLO RETURNS TO EARTH

ESA Astronaut Paolo Nespoli and fellow crewmates Randy Bresnik of

NASA and Sergei Ryazansky of Roscosmos landed back on Earth on
14 December. The ride home from the International Space Station
required braking from 28 800 km/h to a standstill in barely three hours.
The Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft endured the stresses of descent and
landing as planned: its heatshield reached 1600°C during reentry into
the atmosphere as the astronauts experienced up to four times their
own body weight.
During his five-month mission, Paolo completed more than
60 experiments, orbited Earth 2224 times, flew through
35 000 sunrises and sunsets, and travelled 94 million kilometres.

57
 → IMAGE CREDITS

January to March 2017

02 SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

04 TUNING IN TO SATURN | © ESA/U. Kuge

05 THOMAS PESQUET’S FIRST SPACEWALK | © ESA/NASA

06 FIRST FLIGHT FOR SMALLGEO | © ESA/CNES/ARIANESPACE-Optique Video du CSG, 2017

07 MEASURING THE WORLD’S WINDS | © Airbus Defence and Space

08 A NEW ASTRONAUT | © ESA/S. Grothues

09 A BRIGHT NEW DISCOVERY | © ESA/C. Carreau

10 A COOL LOOK AT MARS | © ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; NASA MGS MOLA Science Team

11 A NEW SENTINEL FOR EARTH | © ESA/ATG medialab

12 COMPLETE CONTROL | © ESA/J. Mai

13 EXOMARS: A PROMISING START | © ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS , CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

14 MAPPING MAGNETIC MYSTERIES | © ESA/DTU Space/DLR

15 ANTARCTICA IN 3D | © CPOM

April to June 2017

16 SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS | © ESA/NASA

18 SUSTAINABLE SPACE | © ESA

19 WHEN SWARM MET STEVE | © Krista Trinder

20 CORAL BLEACHING CAPTURED | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

21 FLY ME TO THE MOON | © ESA

22 THOMAS PESQUET RETURNS TO EARTH | © ESA/S. Corvaja

23 QUANTIFYING CLIMATE CHANGE | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2016), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

24 ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR SMALLGEO | © ESA

25 THE FUTURE WRITTEN IN THE STARS | © ESA/Gaia/DPAC

26 ESA ON SHOW IN PARIS | © ESA/M. Pedoussaut

27 FOREST FIRE SEEN FROM SPACE | © ESA/Belpso produced by VITO

28 NEW MISSION NAMED | © ESA

29 A VISION FOR THE FUTURE | © ESA/C. Carreau

Note: Artist’s impression; size of debris exaggerated as compared to the Earth

58
July to September 2017
30 SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS | © ESA/NASA

32 GIANT ICEBERG SPOTTED | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

33 MISSION COMPLETE! | © ESA

34 PAOLO NESPOLI STARTS THIRD MISSION | © NASA

35 TRACKING SPACE WEATHER TOGETHER | © ESA/NASA/Soho

36 ASTRONAUTS TEAM UP | © ESA/S. CORVAJA

37 WEIGHTLESS WISHES | © ESA/NOVESPACE

38 NEW AND IMPROVED! | © RUAG SPACE

39 THE LAST GALILEO | © ESA/G. PORTER, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

40 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISSION CONTROL | © ESA/J. Mai

41 CASSINI’S GRAND FINALE | © ESA

42 500 SPACE START-UPS FOR EUROPE | © HOLM / BDLI / ESA, A. Arnold

43 NEW IDEAS FOR MOON MISSIONS | © ESA/Foster + Partners

October to December 2017

44 SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS | © ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

46 SEEING THROUGH HURRICANES | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by EarthStartsBeating

47 STRANGE AURORA | © NASA / ESA / J. Nichols (University of Leicester)

48 A SATELLITE FOR MORROCO | © ESA/CNES/Arianespace

49 POWERING UP FOR ORION | © ESA/D. Ducros

50 SPACE TELESCOPE TARGETS CHOSEN | © NASA–D. Stover

51 FORTY YEARS OF FORECASTS | © ESA

52 GETTING READY FOR ARIANE 6 | © ESA/S. Corvaja

53 VEGA AND SPACE RIDER GET GREEN LIGHT | © ESA

54 A NEW FOCUS ON AIR POLLUTION | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by KNMI/ESA

55 CELLS IN SPACE | © ESA/NASA

56 GALILEO NEARS COMPLETION | © ESA/M. Pedoussaut

57 PAOLO RETURNS TO EARTH | © ESA/S. Corvaja

59
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