ESA title
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Moon

If space is an ocean, then the Moon is our nearest island. An island that last saw human visitors in December 1972, when the final Apollo mission returned home.

Moon

Good vibrations for Gateway

The structural model of the communications system that ESA is supplying for NASA’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) on the Gateway recently completed a vibrations test to check it will withstand the intense shaking during the launch. The HALO Lunar Communication System (HLCS) is an advanced piece of technology that will enable communication between the […]

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Moon

Building connections beyond Earth – modules for Gateway

ESA’s international habitat I-Hab will be connected to NASA’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost HALO. The second ESA Gateway module, the Esprit European Refuelling Module ERM, will be connected to HALO… But how do we ensure that an international lunar outpost such as Gateway connects as it should?

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Science

EAC experiments take off in hypogravity

Have you ever wondered how researchers test space equipment or conduct experiments in low gravity conditions before going to space? One way to achieve this is through parabolic flights, which offer short periods of reduced gravity. These flights started as a way to train astronauts, but now are mainly used for scientific experiments and testing new technologies.

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Moon

Esprit reviews for Gateway – it’s protocol

A critical design review occurred in April for the communications antenna ESA is supplying for NASA’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) on the Gateway. Time to catch up with ESA’s Esprit project lead Luca Stagnaro on this milestone. Luca is responsible for both elements that make up Esprit, the Esprit HALO lunar communications system (known […]

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Moon

Meet the Gateway team: model systems engineer Tatjana

Introducing the team that is designing and building the ESA modules for the lunar Gateway. Young Graduate Trainee and engineer Tatjana Mandil.

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Moon

Bake the Moon

A Moon bread recipe challenge is set to heat up ovens across Europe in the countdown to the first Artemis mission to lunar orbit – one that gets its temperature and power under control by the European Service Module.

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Moon

Forward to the Moon: interactive publication

As Artemis sets its sights on the Moon, powered by the European Service Module (ESM), all eyes will again turn to the night sky. This interactive publication encourages us to look up at our natural satellite and think about how the Moon has inspired us, from Ancient Greece to the 21st  century, to develop our understanding […]

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Moon

Fresh look at vintage lunar X-ray spectrometry data

Half a century after the Apollo 15 and 16 lunar landing missions, observations made by their scientific instruments still have a lot to say about the Moon and the Universe.

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