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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations
@operations.esa.int
5.5K followers 35 following 200 posts
From Earth orbit to deep space: sharing the excitement of real-time mission operations at the European Space Agency. Home for ESA's teams working on Planetary Defence, Space Weather, Clean Space & Space Debris. esa.int/Operations esa.int/Space_Safety
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 3h
🛰️ Rehearsing for Sentinel-6B’s early days in space
Mission control at ESOC is getting ready for the launch of Europe’s latest sea-level monitoring satellite. The campaign is designed to test their ability to deal with issues, adapt the timeline, and operate under stress.
www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...
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Reposted by ESA Operations
science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 1d
First images of comet #3I/ATLAS from Europe's Mars orbiters 😍

Observing the comet from 30 million km away, #ExoMars reveals the halo of gas and dust surrounding the comet's nucleus.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭🧪
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 1d
Thanks to the spacecraft’s good performance, and some clever planning by teams on Earth, Hera is on track to arrive at the Didymos binary asteroid system a month earlier than originally planned.

Full story at: www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
ESA’s Hera targets early arrival at Didymos asteroids
Launched one year ago, on 7 October 2024, the European Space Agency’s Hera mission is roughly halfway to its destination – the Didymos binary asteroid system.At Didymos, Hera will study the aftermath ...
www.esa.int
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 1d
Happy launch anniversary to ESA's Hera mission! 🎂🥳

One year ago ESA's first planetary defence mission was stranded on Earth, its launcher grounded, as a hurricane closed in on its launch site. What a difference a year makes! www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
Hera’s first year in space
www.esa.int
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Reposted by ESA Operations
science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 5d
🔭 Get your gear ready, we need you for the Juice mission!

To properly reach the Jupiter system in July 2031, #ESAJuice relies on ephemerides - predicted positions of celestial objects at specific times. 

Better ephemerides, better planning, better results. This is where you come in. 1/3
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 2d
ESA's Planetary Defence Office observed the asteroid shortly after its discovery. This observation helped astronomers determine the close approach distance and time to such high precision.

The interaction with Earth's gravity significantly altered the asteroid's orbit around the Sun 👇
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 2d
Asteroid 2025 TF is roughly 1 to 3 m across and was first spotted by the Catalina Sky Survey a few hours after it had passed Earth.

Objects of this size can produce fireballs if they strike Earth’s atmosphere, and small meteorites can make it to the ground.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 2d
Asteroid 2025 TF flew over Antarctica at 00:47:26 UTC ± 18 s on 1 October, coming as close as 428 ± 7 km to Earth’s surface.

This is a similar altitude to the orbit of the International Space Station, and one of the closest approaches ever recorded.

www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
ESA spots asteroid that made very close approach to Earth
ESA spots asteroid that made very close approach to Earth
www.esa.int
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 4d
Learn more about the inauguration 👉
www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...
ESA inaugurates deep space antenna in Australia
The European Space Agency (ESA) has expanded its capability to communicate with scientific, exploration and space safety missions across our Solar System with the inauguration of a new 35-m diameter d...
www.esa.int
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 4d
The antenna also serves for education and outreach, to raise awareness about the longstanding collaboration between Australia and Europe. Yesterday, the Government of Western Australia announced a 350,000 AUD funding for the construction of new tourism infrastructure at our New Norcia station.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 4d
The new antenna will also serve ESA’s efforts towards international collaboration. As part of mutual cross-support arrangements with the agency’s partners, the new antenna can support other space agencies as well as commercial space missions, boosting science return and operational efficiency.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 4d
Days ago, as part of its final calibration, the new antenna successfully received its first signal coming from the #ESAEuclid spacecraft.

The challenge is to pick up very faint signals and then boost them considerably for transmission from and to objects in deep space: 🔼commands🔽 science.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 4d
When the new deep space antenna enters service in 2026, it will support our scientific, exploration and space safety fleets, including Juice, Solar Orbiter, BepiColombo, Mars Express and Hera, and will be a critical enabler for upcoming missions including Plato, Envision, Ariel, Ramses and Vigil.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 4d
Started in 2021 and delivered on schedule, this construction is the result of the outstanding capabilities of ESA, European and Australian industry, and excellent cooperation with our Australian partners.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 4d
The antenna is part our satellite tracking network - #Estrack - which turned 50 this year!

Check out real time information about antennas! estracknow.esa.int
ESTRACKnow
estracknow.esa.int
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 4d
ESA is expanding its deep space communication capabilities with the construction of a new 35-metre deep space antenna – the fourth of its kind.

It will be joining the existing one at New Norcia station, Australia, to help meet the Agency's fast increasing data download needs.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 4d
📡#Estrack is growing! Today we join you from Australia for the inauguration for the Agency's fourth deep space antenna.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 6d
Two years ago, asteroid 2023 CX1 was spotted seven hours before it struck Earth's atmosphere over northern France. Now, researchers have published an analysis of the event and the recovered meteorite that challenges our asteroid hazard models: www.esa.int/Space_Safety...

Image: M. Uzzal
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 7d
Looking forward to collaborating with the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) on space weather and deep space communication activities! 📡🛰️☀️
ESA's Vigil space weather mission ESA's deep space antenna in Argentina
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Reposted by ESA Operations
science.esa.int
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 7d
🆕 The discovery of new complex organic molecules at Saturn's #Enceladus enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable 🪐

On Earth, these molecules are involved in chemical reaction chains that lead to the more complex molecules essential for life.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭 🧪 ☄️
Scientific illustration showing a cross-section of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. It features three labelled layers: An ice shell at the top, with visible cracks releasing jets of water vapour into space; an ocean in the middle, depicted as a large body of water beneath the ice; a rocky core at the bottom, shown emitting heat that may drive the jets. In the background, Saturn and its rings are visible in space.
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Reposted by ESA Operations
esa.int
European Space Agency @esa.int · 12d
🇦🇺 🚀 We are heading down under to participate in the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Australia from 29 September-3 October.

Throughout the week, we will host events on space transportation, international cooperation, commercialisation, the space economy, and education.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 15d
🌔 Every day, Earth is bombarded by tiny asteroids, most too small to even be detected. But what if we could study those impacting the Moon?

ESA's NELIOTA-III #HorizonEurope project closely monitors Moon impact flashes and just released its first observations.

www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
ESA’s new project to keep an eye on Moon strikes
Every day, Earth is bombarded by tiny asteroids and meteoroids, most too small to even be detected. But what if we could study these space rocks by watching their impacts on the Moon? A new ESA projec...
www.esa.int
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Reposted by ESA Operations
transport.esa.int
ESA Space Transport @transport.esa.int · 19d
Standing on its own four legs🦿🦿🦿🦿

@esa.int's reusable rocket demonstrator Themis is standing tall.

Themis will demonstrate rocket stage recovery and reuse technologies and the first model arrived at the Esrange Space Center launch pad in Sweden 🇸🇪 over the summer.
The first model of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) reusable rocket demonstrator Themis standing on its launch pad in Kiruna, Sweden, with a cloudy sky in the background.
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 20d
🛰️ Sentinel-1D begins simulations training!

Mission controllers at ESOC started preparing for the launch and the crucial early-orbit phase ensuring they can respond quickly under pressure.

www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/We_know_the_drill_Sentinel-1D_begins_streamlined_simulations_training
“We know the drill”: Sentinel-1D begins streamlined simulations training
For over a decade, mission control teams at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) have successfully commissioned and operated most of the Sentinel fleet of satellites. This week, in preparation ...
www.esa.int
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operations.esa.int
ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 22d
While 2025 FA22 poses no danger to Earth, practicing how we measure these properties is important. If we discover an asteroid on a collision course with Earth in the future, these properties will influence how it reacts to any attempt to deflect it.
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