News

The European Commission plans to formally start its new Space Shield programme for satellite defence in the second half of 2026 as part of efforts to protect spacecraft already in orbit that provide the bloc with key observation, communication, and navigation capabilities.

Smarter decisions about real-world problems start with better data – and Earth observation can provide just that, thanks to European efforts to open up access to massive amounts of satellite data collected every day.

Some of the world’s space agencies are getting ready for commercial activity on the Moon.

Spanish rocket builder PLD Space has revealed that it expects to be producing one TEPREL-C rocket engine every two weeks by the end of 2025. PLD Space is developing a 35.7-metre-tall, two-stage rocket called MIURA 5 that is designed to be capable of delivering payloads of up to 1,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit.

Using 11 years of magnetic field measurements from the European Space Agency’s Swarm satellite constellation, scientists have discovered that the weak region in Earth’s magnetic field over the South Atlantic – known as the South Atlantic Anomaly – has expanded by an area nearly half the size of continental Europe since 2014.

By fitting its sunshield and solar panels, engineers have completed the construction of Plato, the European Space Agency’s mission to discover Earth-like exoplanets. Plato is on track for the final key tests to confirm that it is fit for launch.

The Dutch government has decided to contribute €344.3 million to European Space Agency (ESA) over the next three years. The government also announced that, with the addition of its national space programmes, the country would spend a total of €550 million from 2026 to 2028.

EUMETSAT has unveiled the first Earth imagery from the METimage instrument aboard its newly launched Metop Second Generation A1 (Metop-SGA1) satellite, offering an early look at the mission's extraordinary visual clarity and scientific potential.

By the end of this year, Italy is set to open one of Europe’s largest and most advanced satellite manufacturing centres on the outskirts of Rome. A collaboration between the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Leonardo and France’s Thales, this €100 million project signals Europe’s determination to close the gap with the United States and China in satellite production and space technology.

Neuraspace has unveiled a new autonomous defence platform that promises to change how Europe protects its satellites and orbital assets. The system, called Neuraspace DEF, was presented in Lisbon and is built to respond instantly to threats ranging from cyberattacks to anti-satellite weapons.

In the first week of October, a €50 million contract was signed with Thales Alenia Space to design the SAGA (Security And cryptoGrAphic) satellite, the continent’s first quantum‑key‑distribution (QKD) mission.

Between 1 and 7 October, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express spacecraft turned their eyes towards interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, as it passed close to Mars.