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ESA - Top Multimedia News

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA Top Multimedia
ESA Top Multimedia

ESA Top Multimedia

May 21st, 2026 08:57:00 EDT -0400 Group photo of ESA’s astronaut reserve
Group photo with the members of ESA's astronaut reserve in the training hall of ESA’s European Astronaut Centre .
May 21st, 2026 09:07:00 EDT -0400 European Service Module at the (space) disco
European Service Module for Artemis III during acoustic testing, May 2026.
May 20th, 2026 11:14:00 EDT -0400 Hyguane signature ceremony in the Jupiter Room at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana
Hyguane signature ceremony in the Jupiter Room at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana
May 18th, 2026 09:54:00 EDT -0400 ESA and CNES renew their commitment to Europe’s Spaceport
ESA and CNES renew their commitment to Europe’s Spaceport
May 19th, 2026 00:50:00 EDT -0400 Wide view of Vega-C liftoff with Smile
Wide view of Vega-C liftoff with Smile
May 19th, 2026 00:50:00 EDT -0400 Vega-C liftoff with Smile up close
Vega-C liftoff with Smile up close
May 18th, 2026 11:38:00 EDT -0400 Marseille, France

This picture was published on social media by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot with the following caption:

Day 094, orbit 1458 — From space, Marseille – its port, its stadium, and its Calanques – is simply breathtaking… France is so beautiful!

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Jour 094, orbite 1458 – Marseille, son port, son stade, et ses calanques sont vraiment magnifiques depuis l’espace… Que la France est belle !

 

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May 16th, 2026 03:22:00 EDT -0400 Vega-C with Smile inside its mobile hangar on the launch pad
Vega-C with Smile inside its mobile hangar on the launch pad
May 15th, 2026 04:00:00 EDT -0400 Earth from Space: Quito’s volcanic landscape
This image, captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2, gives us a glimpse of Ecuador’s capital, Quito, sprawling for 40 km along this high-altitude valley in the Andes.
May 15th, 2026 03:06:00 EDT -0400 A Lyrid meteor from orbit

The Expedition 74 crew on the International Space Station turned into meteor chasers as Earth passed through a cloud of dust and small debris left behind by comet Thatcher in 1861.  

Each year in mid-April, as some of these fragments enter Earth’s atmosphere, heating up and leaving a bright trail behind them, humankind looks up – or down, in the case of the Station’s crew – to catch of glimpse of these shooting stars.  

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot set up a camera to automatically record thousands of images in the hope of catching a shooting star, an elusive event that often lasts only a fraction of a second. She successfully captured two on camera, and the images were combined into a timelapse, offering a beautiful, if accelerated, view of Earth at night from orbit.  

“In scientific terms, a shooting star is actually a meteor: a tiny fragment of rock or dust from space that disintegrates as it enters Earth’s atmosphere, after travelling astronomical distances. For those with their heads full of dreams, seeing a shooting star often feels like the perfect moment to make a wish… just in case!” says Sophie. 

The brightest meteors, which can appear to tear across the sky, are known as bolides. The colour of their trail depends both on the chemical composition of the meteoroid and on the altitude at which the phenomenon occurs. 

The next meteor showers, visible both from the ground and orbit, are the ongoing Eta Aquariids and the Perseids, which peak in mid-August. 

May 13th, 2026 04:49:00 EDT -0400 Corinne Barker: studying effects of lunar dust
Corinne Barker: studying effects of lunar dust
May 13th, 2026 05:00:00 EDT -0400 A view from above: Shalbatana Vallis on Mars
A view from above: Shalbatana Vallis on Mars
May 8th, 2026 05:00:00 EDT -0400 Earth from Space: Greenland's changing ice
Part of the rugged and deeply indented coast of northeastern Greenland is featured in this radar image captured by Copernicus Sentinel-1.
May 7th, 2026 03:43:00 EDT -0400 Sensitive and sturdy
Sensitive and sturdy
May 6th, 2026 06:00:00 EDT -0400 Location of star-forming region in M51
Location of star-forming region in M51