No communication or navigation, faulty electronics and collision risk. At ESA’s mission control in Darmstadt, teams faced a scenario unlike any before: a solar storm of extreme magnitude. Fortunately, this nightmare unfolded not in reality, but as part of the simulation campaign for Sentinel-1D, pushing the boundaries of spacecraft operations and space weather preparedness.
Video: 00:05:04 English ESA Open Day 2025: An Unforgettable Journey Through Space Science at ESACOn 4 October 2025, the European Space Agency opened the doors of ESAC – the European Space Astronomy Centre near Madrid – for an inspiring day of discovery. Visitors had the opportunity to explore ESA’s window to the Universe, where missions […]
Video: 00:01:33 Friday the 13th of April 2029 will be our lucky day.Apophis, a 375-metre-wide asteroid, will safely pass Earth at a distance of less than 32 000 kilometres. For a few hours, Apophis will be closer than satellites in geostationary orbit and visible to the naked eye from Europe and Africa.Space agencies have sent a number of spacecraft to asteroids, but we have never had a mission at an […]