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Astronaut portrait - Sławosz Uznański. Credits: ESA - A. Conigli
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski

Countdown to Ignis

As the countdown to Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) enters its final phase, ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski has completed an intensive training programme across the globe. Scheduled to launch no earlier than 8 June 2025, Ax-4 will take him and his crewmates to the International Space Station for a two-week mission focused on science, technology and international collaboration.

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Science

ACES: time for science

Now on the way to its new home in space, ESA’s Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) will soon be ready to explore some of the most fundamental questions in physics, from the nature of gravity to the definition of time itself.  At the heart of ACES are two complementary clocks: the caesium-based PHARAO and […]

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Science

7 things you didn’t know about ACES

In just a few days, ESA’s Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) will launch to the International Space Station, carrying the most accurate timepieces ever sent to orbit. This pioneering mission is set to revolutionise timekeeping, enabling ultra-precise global time synchronisation and opening up new frontiers in fundamental physics research.  Here are 7 things you […]

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Science

The clocks of ACES

Timekeeping is about to reach new heights with ACES, the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space. Built by Airbus for ESA, ACES will be launched to the International Space Station on 21 April and installed outside ESA’s Columbus laboratory. The instrument features two cutting-edge atomic clocks, PHARAO and SHM, which will work together to generate the […]

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Moon

Meet Sara Pastor, ESA’s Lunar Projects Group Leader

Born in Italy, Sara Pastor graduated in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Torino in 1998. After a brief experience in the automotive industry, she worked in Alenia Space in Turin (now Thales Alenia Space), before moving to ESA in 2003 at its technical site in the Netherlands. Initially, Sara worked on the preparation of ESA’s […]

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Moon

Argonaut: a lunar ship

ESA’s Argonaut represents Europe’s autonomous and versatile access to the Moon, supporting international exploration endeavours on the lunar surface. The spacecraft will support several missions to the Moon, launching aboard a four-booster Ariane 6 in the next decade.  The spacecraft has two main elements: the Lunar Descent Element, which takes care of flying to the […]

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Moon

Making a Moon robot show on Earth

The year is 2035. An Ariane 6 rocket blazes into the sky, delivering an Argonaut mission to the Moon. On the lunar surface, astronauts and robots work hand in hand, pushing the boundaries of exploration, uncovering the Moon’s secrets, and bringing knowledge and innovation back to Earth for the benefit of all. Also known as […]

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Astronauts

A year in images for Europe’s human and robotic exploration

Time flies when exploring space.

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