Source: NASA Science News

NASA's ion-propelled Dawn spacecraft has begun its approach to Ceres, a Texas-sized dwarf planet never before visited by a spacecraft. The next couple of months promise continually improving views of Ceres, prior to Dawn's arrival. By the end of January, the spacecraft's images and other data will be the best ever taken of the dwarf planet. (learn more)

Learn about ion engines by playing the video above.

Source: NASA Science News

The European Space Agency’s orbiting Rosetta spacecraft is expected to come within four miles of the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in February 2015. The low flyby will be an opportunity for Rosetta to obtain imagery with a resolution of a few inches per pixel. (learn more)

Source: NASA Science News

Since 2012, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has experienced three 'tsunami waves' in interstellar space. The most recent, which reached the spacecraft earlier this year, is still propagating outward according to new data.(learn more)

Image credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Credit: NASA Science News

New images of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko show that the target of ESA's Rosetta probe is no ordinary comet.

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, was imaged on 14 July 2014 by OSIRIS, Rosetta's scientific imaging system, from a distance of approximately 12 000 km (image on the right).

The image suggests that the comet may consist of two parts: one segment seems to be rather elongated, while the other appears more bulbous.(learn more)

Source: NASA Science

Eleven billion miles from Earth, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered a "magnetic highway" that connects our solar system to interstellar space. This could be one of Voyager 1's last steps on its long journey to the stars.(learn more)

Voyager 1 Tastes Interstellar Space

Source: ESA

Excavating water-rich rocks.
Image credits: Mars Express HRSC, ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum);
NASA/MOLA Science Team; D. Loizeau et al.

By studying rocks blasted out of impact craters, ESA’s Mars Express has found evidence that underground water persisted at depth for prolonged periods during the first billion years of the Red Planet’s existence.(read more)

Source: NASA Science Casts

Source: ESA Online Videos

Everything must come to an end – including satellites. After 16 years of loyal service observing Earth, the ERS-2 satellite has retired. This edition of Space tells the life story of the venerable satellite.

Source: ESA

ERS-2. Image credit: ESA.

After a final thruster firing last week to deplete its remaining fuel, ESA's venerable ERS-2 observation satellite has been safely taken out of service. Ground controllers also ensured the space environment was protected for future missions. (read more)

Source: ESA

Artemis (Advanced Relay and Technology Mission Satellite).
Image credits: ESA - J.Huart.

ESA’s pioneering Artemis satellite today marks a decade in space. The Advanced Relay and Technology Mission was a breakthrough in telecommunications satellites for Europe, packed with new technologies such as laser links and ion thrusters for proving in space.(read more)

Source: ESA

Artist's impression of the Expert spacecraft during reentry flight .
Image credit: ESA.

A spacecraft control flap designed for the super-heated hypersonic fall through Earth’s atmosphere has come through testing in the world’s largest plasma wind tunnel to be ready for its first flight next year.(read more)

Source: ESA

Cluster satellites study the effects of solar wind. Credit: ESA

Using ingenuity and an unorthodox 'dirty hack', ESA has recovered the four-satellite Cluster mission from near loss. The drama began in March, when a crucial science package stopped responding to commands – one of a mission controller's worst fears. (read more)

Source: ESA

Alphasatis the first satellite to be launched using the new European
high-power Alphabus telecommunications platform. Credits: ESA.

Alphabus, the world’s largest communication satellite platform, is ready to offer new opportunities for satellite operators worldwide. The platform was formally accepted for its first satellite, Alphasat I-XL on 16 June, marking an important milestone in its journey to space.(read more)

Source: ESA.

Reentry of a previous ATV. Image credit: ESA.

The Johannes Kepler ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) has undocked from the International Space. The Johannes Kepler ATV was responsible for the International Space Station's biggest increase in altitude to date, significantly improving the 417-tonne Station's orbital mileage through the next decade of scientific research.

During three intensive reboost manoeuvres, ATV Johannes Kepler raised the ISS altitude from around 345 km to about 380 km, where it will use far less fuel to maintain its orbit and cutting the amount of fuel that must be sent up in the coming years by almost half.

The ATV will now  reenter Earth’s atmosphere on today ending its mission in fiery destruction.

Source: NASA

Artist's interpretation depicting the new view of the heliosphere.
Image credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/ CI Lab.

Observations from NASA's Voyager spacecraft, humanity's farthest deep space sentinels, suggest the edge of our solar system may not be smooth, but filled with a turbulent sea of magnetic bubbles.

While using a new computer model to analyze Voyager data, scientists found the sun's distant magnetic field is made up of bubbles approximately 100 million miles wide. The bubbles are created when magnetic field lines reorganize. The new model suggests the field lines are broken up into self-contained structures disconnected from the solar magnetic field. The findings are described in the June 9 edition of the Astrophysical Journal. (read more)

Source: ESA News

M2.5-class solar flare observed by Proba-2's SWAP instrument.
Image credits: ESA/ROB.

ESA’s Proba-2 small Sun-watcher was among the flotilla of satellites on watch as the Sun erupted spectacularly this week. (read more)

Source: ESA

Animation of a series of astronomical images that include Comet 67-P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
made by ESO telescope (first image) and by Rosetta's OSIRIS imaging system (all other images).
Credits: ESA 2011 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

The final command placing ESA's Rosetta comet-chaser into deep-space hibernation was sent earlier today. With virtually all systems shut down, the probe will now coast for 31 months until waking up in 2014 for arrival at its comet destination. (read more)

Source: ESA

Artist's impression of the Rosetta. Image credits: ESA.

On 8 June, mission controllers will have the first opportunity to switch ESA's Rosetta comet-hunter into deep-space hibernation for 31 months. During this loneliest leg of its decade-long mission, Rosetta will loop ever closer toward comet 67-P, soaring to almost 1000 million km from Earth. (read more)

Source: ESA

All space missions have one inescapable dependency: the electricity flowing through their systems to keep them alive. Take away its power and a spacecraft is nothing more than space debris – an eventuality the space power professionals strive to avoid. (read more)

Source: ESA News

Predicting the exact dispersal of a volcanic ash cloud is never going to be easy. However, satellite data are showing that the eruption from Iceland's Grímsvötn volcano this week was unlikely to have posed a significant threat to airspace over central Europe. (read more)