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DLR

International Space Station

Columbus at 100 000 orbits: a Q&A with experts

On 12 September 2025, ESA’s Columbus laboratory aboard the International Space Station will complete its 100 000th orbit around Earth—a remarkable achievement for Europe’s flagship science module in space.

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Moon

As the dust settles – first sandbag tapping at LUNA

Exciting developments are unfolding in Cologne, Germany, where ESA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are establishing a worldwide unique lunar analogue facility – LUNA. This week, the first lunar sandbag tapping —opening the bags to distribute the sand— marked an important step in preparing the hall for future Moon mission testing.

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Spaceship EAC

Mining lunar minerals with terrestrial fungi

Filamentous fungi may not be the first thing most people think of when it comes to mining, but they could be the answer to construction on the Moon. João Figueira, a Master’s student with the University of Porto, Portugal, has been working with ESA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, to uncover how a unique biomining method could mould Europe’s next steps in space.

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Matthias Maurer

European science en route to space

Astronauts are preparing to welcome SpaceX’s 23rd Cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station this weekend, complete with European hardware and experiments on board.

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