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Crew-12 Walkout with ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot
Crew-12 Walkout with ESA astronaut Sophie AdenotFull replay: Launch of Crew-12 with Sophie Adenot | εpsilon mission
Watch the launch of ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot to the International Space Station (ISS), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre. Sophie flies as mission specialist. The other Crew-12 members are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, respectively commander and pilot of the mission, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, mission specialist.
Highlights of Sophie Adenot’s launch to the ISS
Watch the highlights of the launch of ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot to the International Space Station (ISS) on Crew-12. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA, on Friday 13 February 2026 at 10:15 GMT/11:15 CET (5:15 local time).
Sophie flies as mission specialist. The other Crew-12 members are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, respectively commander and pilot of the mission, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, mission specialist.
The French ESA astronaut is the first of her class, the Hoppers, to fly. Sophie has chosen the name εpsilon for her mission, which may last up to nine months. On board the Station, she will conduct a wide range of tasks, including European-led scientific experiments and medical research, support Earth observation activities, and contribute to operations and maintenance on the Station.
Launch of Crew-12 to the ISS
Watch the liftoff of ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot to the International Space Station (ISS), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre. Sophie flies as mission specialist. The other Crew-12 members are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, respectively commander and pilot of the mission, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, mission specialist.
εpsilon launch
εpsilon launchEarth from Space: Sending love from above
For Valentine’s Day, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission sends love from space, capturing the heart-shaped oasis of Faiyum, just south of Cairo, Egypt.Highlights of first launch of Ariane 6 with four boosters
At 16:45 GMT/17:45 CET the first Ariane 6 rocket with four boosters lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 12 February, taking 32 Amazon Leo satellites to orbit.
This is Ariane 6’s most powerful version yet. The new three-stage European rocket can be adapted according to each mission with either two or four boosters as well as the length of the fairing – the nosecone that splits vertically in two. This launch was the sixth Ariane 6 flight, the first to fly with four boosters and also the first with the long fairing.
Ariane 6 in its four-booster configuration, known as Ariane 64, doubles the rocket’s performance compared to the two-booster version that has flown five times including the inaugural flight in 2024. The P120C boosters used by Ariane 6 are one of the most powerful one-piece motors in production in the world. Flying with four boosters takes Ariane 6 to a whole new class of rockets. With the extra thrust from two more boosters Ariane 6 can take around 21.6 tonnes to low Earth orbit, more than double the 10.3 tonnes it could bring to orbit with just two boosters.
Ariane 6 first launch with four boosters: the complete broadcast
Watch the broadcast for the launch of Ariane 6 Flight VA267, the first mission featuring the four-booster configuration.
On this flight, Ariane 6 delivered 32 satellites for Amazon’s LEO constellation into low Earth orbit.
Mobile hangar moves back to reveal first Ariane 6 with four boosters on the launch pad
Mobile hangar moves back to reveal first Ariane 6 with four boosters on the launch padFirst Ariane 6 with four boosters launched
First Ariane 6 with four boosters launchedESA’s Genesis mission celebrates International Day of Women and Girls in STEM
On 11 February, International Day of Women and Girls in STEM, we are spotlighting the Genesis mission by speaking to Sara Gidlund, Head of the Genesis Project and Gaia Fusco, Genesis System and Operations Manager about the vision behind a mission for the world.
In this video, the women behind Genesis show how strong leadership drives technical innovation at ESA and inspire the next generation to lead with curiosity, vision and impact.
More on Genesis.
Water testing at Concordia
ESA medical doctor Sarah Gaier tests water from the recycling system at Concordia station in AntarcticaLowering the upper part of Ariane 6 flight VA267 onto the rocket on the launch pad
Lowering the upper part of Ariane 6 flight VA267 onto the rocket on the launch padRamses contract signature 10 February 2026
Ramses contract signature 10 February 2026Hubble captures light show around rapidly dying star
The Egg NebulaAccumulated rainfall over the Iberian Peninsula
Ariane 6: more boosters, more power
It its most powerful version, Ariane 6 uses four boosters to lift off and rocket towards space.
Designed for versatility, Ariane 6 can adapt to each mission: flying with two boosters for lighter payloads, or four boosters when more power is needed.
In its four-booster configuration, Ariane 6 can carry larger and heavier spacecraft into orbit, enabling some of Europe’s most ambitious missions — such as Argonaut.
Crew-12 upon their arrival at the Kennedy Space Center
Crew-12 in front of a SpaceX booster
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
How big is space debris?
Is the space debris surrounding Earth more often as big as a school bus, or as small as a marble? In this activity, we find out by simulating a debris collision using crisps and measuring the resulting pieces' size. Find the corresponding classroom resource here.
This educational activity was designed with primary STEM teachers in mind, but can be done by anyone, anywhere!
Which crops should we grow in space?
Which crops can sustain humans in space during long duration missions? In this video, we explore three types of plants that may be suitable. Find the corresponding classroom resource here.
This educational activity was designed with primary STEM teachers in mind, but can be done by anyone, anywhere!
Sophie Adenot ready for first space mission
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot is preparing to launch to the International Space Station for her first space mission: εpsilon.
After years of intensive training — from emergency procedures to spacewalk simulations — the countdown has begun. Flying alongside astronauts from NASA and Roscosmos, Sophie will join an international crew living and working together in space.
Aboard the ISS, Sophie will live and work in microgravity, conducting scientific research and performing a range of European- and French-led experiments that advance knowledge for life on Earth and in space.
Join us live on YouTube to watch the launch of Sophie Adenot.
Earth from Space: Olympic view
With the 2026 Winter Olympics officially opening today, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission brings us a striking view of northern Italy, highlighting several key Olympic venues.Tropical wetlands Kenya
Fly around Flaugergues Crater on Mars
ESA’s Mars Express takes us on a journey across the southern highlands of Mars to Flaugergues Crater.
The video begins by tracking along a swathe of ground enclosed by two steeply sloping and roughly parallel cliffs – or escarpments – named Scylla Scopulus and Charybdis Scopulus (to the left and right, respectively). This ’path’ of ground is called a graben, created as tectonic plates pulled apart. It measures about 75 km wide by 1 km deep.
The prominent, 150-km-wide Bakhuysen Crater can be seen to the left.
The camera continues travelling northwards, approaching Flaugergues Crater in the distance. It moves along the crater’s eastern side before circling around to the left and ending at its western rim.
Flaugergues Crater is a roughly 240-km-wide basin found in Mars’s southern highlands, where most of the rough terrain is densely covered in craters. Half of the crater floor is also rugged, with parts rising up to elevations of around 1 km. We see a valley crossing this rocky patch, which was likely shaped by flows of wind and lava.
Enjoy the flight, and be sure to view the associated map of the area, which shows the route taken by the camera and highlights the key features seen throughout the journey. These features are also indicated in the voiceover.
Want to continue your airborne adventures on the Red Planet? Other Mars Express flights across the martian surface can take you to Nili Fossae, Ares Vallis, Xanthe Terra, Noctis Labyrinthus, and Jezero Crater.
How the video was made
This video is not representative of how Mars Express flies over the surface of Mars.
It was created using data from the Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera Mars Chart (HMC20W), an image mosaic made from single orbit observations of the mission’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). The mosaic image, centred at 20°S/17°E, is combined with topography information from the digital terrain model to generate a three-dimensional landscape.
For every second of the video, 50 separate frames are rendered following a pre-defined camera path. The vertical exaggeration used for the animation is three-fold. Atmospheric effects, like clouds and haze, have been added to conceal the limits of the terrain model. The haze starts building up at a distance of 250 km.
The HRSC camera on Mars Express is operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The systematic processing of the camera data took place at the DLR Institute for Planetary Research in Berlin-Adlershof. The working group of Planetary Science and Remote Sensing at FU Berlin used the data to create the film.
Overhead perspective of Flaugergues Crater
Assembling first Ariane 6 with four boosters on the launch pad – timelapse
Timelapse video showing the central core for the Ariane 6 rocket arriving at the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The Ariane 6 rocket being assembled here will be the first to fly with four boosters, doubling liftoff thrust for the launcher, and see Ariane 6 take satellites for Amazon’s Leo constellation to orbit.
Four automated vehicles transported the Ariane 6 central core from the launcher assembly building to the launch pad that is about 800 meters away on 21 January 2026.
Once at the launch pad, choreographed movements by two of the automated vehicles and a crane equipped with a lifting beam, raised the central core to its vertical launch position and placed it on the launch table. It was then rotated so that the stages’ fluid connections were positioned opposite the launch pad umbilicals that will supply the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel for launch.
The four boosters used on this flight were connected to the central core on the launch pad the next day. The booster structures are produced in Italy and then filled with solid propellant at Europe’s Spaceport at their booster finishing facility. Ariane 6 flight VA267 will be the first flight to use four boosters to get to orbit. Each P120C solid rocket booster is 13.5 m long and 3.4 m in diameter. Filled with about 142 tonnes of solid propellant, they provide around 4500 kN of maximum thrust. Working together the boosters will provide the majority of the thrust during Ariane 6’s launch to get it off the launch pad.
Ariane 6 in its four-booster configuration doubles the rocket’s performance compared to the two-booster version that has flown five times including the inaugural flight in 2024. The P120C boosters used by Ariane 6 are one of the most powerful one-piece motors in production in the world. Flying with four boosters takes Ariane 6 to a whole new class of rockets. With the extra thrust from two more boosters Ariane 6 can take around 21.6 tonnes to low Earth orbit, more than double the 10.3 tonnes it could bring to orbit with just two boosters. The flight will demonstrate and prove the performance of four boosters working together with the main stage in real flight.
Ariane 6 is Europe’s newest heavy-lift rocket, designed to provide great power and flexibility at a lower cost than its predecessors. The rocket provides Europe with greater efficiency and an ensures access to space for the benefits of humankind, allowing for all types of missions from exploration to navigation, science and communications.