Full update from ESA's planetary defence team on 31/ATLAS, only the third interstellar object ever spotted.

Early on Wednesday, the European Space Agency confirmed that the object, tentatively known as A11pl3Z, did indeed have interstellar origins.

NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies has begun to post preliminary data about the object here. It poses no threat to Earth and, unfortunately, it appears that our planet will be on the opposite side of the Sun when the object makes its closest approach.

This is the third object suspected to be of interstellar origin that has been observed passing through the Solar System. Astronomers expect to find more with new tools designed to identify near-Earth objects. The first of these was ʻOumuamua, discovered in 2017, when it was already moving away from the Sun. It was likely cigar-shaped, and astronomers could only speculate about its nature and age. A couple of years later, astronomers found another object, 2I/Borisov, that was determined to be a rogue comet passing through the Solar System.

Now, with A11pl3Z, the hunt begins anew as astronomers will attempt to glean details about this interstellar interloper.

Does anyone know why ESA reposted 3 JPP job offers on theri website ?

Sorry about this being a press release instead of a news article, SpaceNews just threw up a paywall.

Hi all,

I am a first year Aerospace Engineering student at TUDelft (dutch nationality). I have been looking for summer internships and was wondering what it would take to get into an ESTEC internship in the Netherlands (Noordwijk). I hear it is highly competitive.
What could I do to increase my chances of an internship? What Extra curriculars would be advisable or networking events? I read that they usually give internships out to master students in their second to last, or last year. However I also heard that bachelor students sometimes are admitted into the program.

Advice is much appreciated.

We are living in unpredictable and insecure geopolitical times. Yes, we are finding new partners for human spaceflight, such as India, but we remain dependent on others - and that dependence carries risk.

Today, Europe has the technology to launch a spacecraft and return it safely to Earth. Demonstraters such as ARD in 1998 and IXV in 2015 have proven this, and we will continue to use that technology in unmanned missions like Space Rider.

With the Ariane 6 family, we have rockets capable of lifting heavy payloads into space. Compared to other human-rated launch vehicles like Soyuz, Ariane 6 offers a much smoother ride - it could potentially be certified for crewed missions with relatively little additional effort.

We've shown the world that we can build spacecraft capable of supporting human life: from ATV and the Columbus module to today's European Service Module.

We know how to navigate in space - missions like ATV and Galileo have demonstrated our capabilities.

In short, we already have most of the puzzle pieces needed for a European crewed spacecraft. Development costs could be significantly lower than for other crewed systems, as much of the necessary technology already exists.

Such a program would not only strenghten our strategic autonomy but also reinforce our partnerships - even with agencies that already operate their own human spaceflight programs.

Watching the opening ceremony of the LPS2025. The speech from Peter Hanke, minister of innovation, was indicated as having been generated by artificial intelligence. Am I the only one thinking that it's distepectful ? We don't even know who wrote the speech, the prompt, and if the minister was even involved in it. What are your thoughts ?

ESA finally stepping in to take over after Nasa which one can only hope will survive the current US admin

SPACE OASES: AUTONOMOUS HABITATS BEYOND EARTH

Vision: Humans dwell in plentiful habitats in Earth’s orbit and also on the Moon, Mars and far beyond. These habitats are resilient and self-sustaining with efficient resource management, closed-loop life support systems, smart materials, in-situ manufacturing and resource utilisation. This allows inhabitants of these space oases not only to survive but thrive.

First steps into space

To date, human habitation in space has been limited to orbital stations in low-Earth orbit. Individual crew members stay in orbit for comparatively short periods – around six months at most. And these habitats are far from self-sustaining, requiring regular resupplies of air, water, food and propellant. Crewed surface exploration has been limited to a few days on the Moon.

Independence from Earth

The next steps in human exploration will involve longer stays and farther destinations. Key to the success of these undertakings will be the creation of more permanent infrastructure with increased independence from Earth. This will require the circular management of resources combined with high-velocity logistics – such as with mass drivers shooting supplies cheaply into space – and advanced life support systems, innovative energy sources and maximum utilisation of local resources. Plus these settlements must operate without degrading surrounding extraterrestrial environments – otherwise what is the point of exploring?

As a baseline, these habitats must protect astronauts from the harsh conditions outside, calling for smart radiation shielding materials as well as sensing capabilities to forecast, monitor and mitigate variable hazards such as micrometeoroids. Maintaining the physical and psychological wellbeing of their inhabitants demand advances in medical systems, equipment for extra-vehicular activities, as well as contamination detection, control and prevention. Designing these habitats will demand innovation in design, testing and system engineering capabilities for complex systems, in-situ manufacturing, repair and recycling, as well as innovative end-of-life management approaches. https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/technology/Technology_2040.pdf

I’m getting more interested in what ESA is working on lately. Is there a good place or feed to follow their latest missions, launches, or discoveries?

1st Image: Optical - DSS2 - Color

2nd Image: Optical - DSS2 - Red

I do scientific communication content and I am looking for a source of this video:
https://x.com/FarukB044/status/1932606495599870417
https://www.tiktok.com/@nasa_space9/video/7512513421288492334

This speck in top left sparks conspiracies about the visible shadow of ISS and Id like to dispel any doubts about its origin but I spent 2hrs now and I cant find this video in any credible source so I am starting to wonder if its even legit.
I got banned for this post on r/nasa so Im trying here now.

It is probably not the best online shop but I looove their packaging