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Matthias Maurer

Cosmic Kiss takes the Nebra Sky Disc to space

The sky, its celestial bodies and the vastness of space beyond has fascinated humankind for thousands of years. It is therefore no coincidence that ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer took inspiration from the Nebra Sky Disc for his Cosmic Kiss mission patch.

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Matthias Maurer

First spacewalk for Matthias

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer is scheduled to perform his first spacewalk next week, stepping outside the International Space Station on Wednesday 23 March alongside NASA’s Raja Chari. Watch all the action live on ESA Web TV. 

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Samantha Cristoforetti

Revised flight plan brings change for Samantha

In May 2021 it was announced that ESA astronaut and Dragon Crew-4 mission specialist Samantha Cristoforetti would serve as Commander of International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 68a.

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Matthias Maurer

100 days of Cosmic Kiss science

Saturday 19 February marks 100 days since ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer was launched to the International Space Station for his first mission, Cosmic Kiss. He launched on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari and Tom Marshburn as a member of Crew-3. But even before he was launched to space, he was subject to scrutiny for science.

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Mars

Rocketing Mars

A small rocket to launch samples from the surface of Mars, the first one to fire off from another planet, has a builder – NASA has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin Space to make the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV).

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Matthias Maurer

#AskMatthias – Orbit Edition

A main goal of my Cosmic Kiss mission is to share with you lots of fascinating science about space and spaceflight, as well as the life and work of an astronaut - on the ground, as well as and on the ISS. I'm thankful for all the positive comments and questions I receive every day and I will do my best to answer them on this blog. Stay curious!

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Matthias Maurer

New Year’s science in space for a healthier life

Another year passes, and our muscles, bones, eyes and ears deteriorate as we age – even more so in space. Reactions in ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer’s body after barely two months on the International Space Station are giving European scientists clues on how to fight the downsides of growing old on Earth.

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Moon

LUNA: Moon on Earth

Humankind's ambition to explore our steady orbital companion, the Moon, sustainably is accelerating around the globe. Many agencies are preparing for or already operating new robotic and human missions to the Moon, most prominently NASA’s Artemis programme that will fly astronauts to the Moon again about 50 years after Apollo. All international partners, including the European Space Agency (ESA), must prepare for upcoming lunar missions and a facility planned next to ESA's European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, will recreate Moon conditions on Earth like never before.  

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