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During her mission aboard the International Space Station, Sophie Adenot will carry out a series of European-led experiments focused on health and crew autonomy.
Among them is the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D), a compact and versatile in-flight exercise system designed to support the future of human exploration. The mission also includes experiments conducted in collaboration with CADMOS, CNES’ centre dedicated to human spaceflight and microgravity research.
Alongside her scientific work, Sophie will contribute to several educational initiatives. Through ChlorISS (with CNES), she will grow seeds aboard the ISS while more than 260,000 students in over 4,000 schools replicate the experiment in their classrooms.
Students can also participate in the European Astro Pi Challenge, programming computers on the ISS to collect real orbital data, and in Mission X, where they train like astronauts through science and fitness challenges that promote healthy lifestyles on Earth and in space.
This video features interviews with Tobias Weber, Space Medicine Scientist at ESA, and Rémi Canton, Project Manager for Human Spaceflight at CADMOS.

The εpsilon name and patch reflect the power of small, yet impactful contributions and how multiple parts unite to create a whole. In mathematics, “ε” represents something small. In the extensive collaborative effort of space exploration, involving thousands of participants, all roles, including the astronaut's role, stay small yet meaningful.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captures the icy landscape of Terra Nova Bay in East Antarctica.

Asteroids are ancient space rocks left over from the formation of the Solar System. They are thought to have brought complex molecules, and possibly early life, to Earth billions of years ago.

As inhabitants of our planet, we must learn how to keep ourselves and Earth safe from any future impacts that might pose a threat.

Planetary defence is an essential element of ESA’s Space Safety programme. ESA conducts regular observation campaigns to search the sky for potentially hazardous asteroids. If detected, their orbits are calculated and predicted and, if necessary, impact warnings are issued

ESA is also working on mitigation measures – including space missions. 

Learn more about Planetary Defence at ESA.

Textile antenna incorporated into HALTI's jacket to provide wireless connection enabled by geostationary satellites

Students kick off experiments on ESA’s flat floor

The Greta engine firing up on a new mobile test stand in Trauen, Germany. Greta was ignited multiple times from July to November 2025 and showed stable operations, including controlled shutdowns. During the test campaign the engine fired continuously for over 40 seconds at a time.

The Greta project, part of the European Space Agency’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme is developing a 5 kN thrust class rocket engine that can be restarted reliably several times.

Greta uses hydrogen peroxide and ethanol as propellants, a more sustainable alternative with a lower carbon footprint compared to monomethyl hydrazine propellant used by most traditional rocket engines in this thrust range.

Greta was tested on a new, low-cost and versatile mobile test stand with instruments measuring data such as pressure and temperature, which will be used to further optimise the engine.

Greta’s 30-cm high combustion chamber is built up in layers by melting metal powders with a laser. This technique allows for complex shapes to be made that would be difficult to achieve with conventional metallurgy. For example, the Greta engine is cooled by passing fluid through complex channels built into the engine as close as possible to the inner wall of the chamber which is in contact with the hot – over 2000°C – combustion gases.

ArianeGroup in Ottobrunn, Germany is the prime contractor for Greta. This type of engine could be used on lunar landers or on kick stages, such as Astris that is being developed for Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket.

Born in France in 1982, Sophie Adenot is an engineer, helicopter test pilot and colonel in the French Air and Space Force. Selected as an ESA astronaut in 2022, she completed her basic training at the European Astronaut Centre in 2024 and launched to the International Space Station on 13 February 2026 for her first mission, εpsilon.

France hit by severe flooding

The stellar lifecycle in a nearby spiral

The joint European-Chinese Smile mission will launch this spring from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, on a Vega-C rocket.

The rocket will place Smile into an almost-circular orbit around Earth’s poles.

Over the following month, Smile will gradually alter its orbit, firing its engines as it flies over Antarctica. Its final orbit will take it 121 000 km above the North Pole to collect information on Earth’s magnetic field and the northern lights, before flying close over the South Pole to deliver its data.

This special orbit will enable Smile to spend about 80% of its time at high altitude above the northern hemisphere, collecting continuous observations of the northern lights for 45 hours at a time.

After Smile has reached this final ‘science orbit’, it will deploy a three-metre-long boom that carries two magnetometer sensors at the end. These sensors will measure the strength and direction of magnetic fields around the spacecraft.

Known as ‘MAG’, data from this science instrument will be combined with data from Smile’s X-ray camera, ultraviolet camera, and particle detector to give humankind its first complete look at how Earth reacts to streams of particles and bursts of radiation from the Sun.

By improving our understanding of the solar wind, solar storms and space weather, Smile will fill a stark gap in our understanding of the Solar System and help keep our technology and astronauts safe in the future.

Watch Smile’s launch and solar panel deployment (artist impression) here.

Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot during one of her first workouts at the start of the εpsilon mission.

This timelapse shows a full rotation of Uranus captured by NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Thanks to its orbit at L2, Webb was able to observe the planet for approximately 17 hours continuously. 

The video consists of over 1200 slices of multi-object spectroscopy data. By mapping distribution and temperature of hydrogen in its molecular and trihydrogen form, these observations provide the most detailed view to date of Uranus’ vertical upper atmosphere. The video shows where temperatures and densities of charged particles peak, and reveals clear auroral structures shaped by the planet’s unusual magnetic field.

Using Webb’s NIRSpec instrument, the team detected the faint glow from molecules high above the clouds. These unique data provide the most detailed portrait yet of where the planet’s auroras form, how they are influenced by its unusually tilted magnetic field, and how Uranus’s atmosphere has continued to cool over the past three decades. The results offer a new window into how ice-giant planets distribute energy in their upper layers.

Read more.

The Sun doesn't feel like a threat – until it does. 

Solar storms can put on beautiful light shows in the night sky, known as auroras. But they can also cause serious problems for the technology we rely on every day. Strong solar activity can interfere with communications, power grids and navigation systems on Earth and satellites in orbit.

Although we cannot stop such space weather from happening, we can limit its impact. The most effective protection comes from carefully monitoring the Sun and the effects of solar activity on the space environment around Earth. This information can be shared with system operators through services similar to weather reports and forecasts, so the operators can take protective action when needed.

Observing space weather and reducing its risks are activities of ESA’s Space Safety programme. ESA is building a wide range of space weather services, brought together in the ESA Space Weather Service Network, supported by data from ESA's own space weather sensors deployed in space. These services help industry and spacecraft operators respond quickly and effectively when space weather events occur. 

Learn more about Space Weather at ESA and the ESA Space Weather Service network.

Watch all Space safety hazards videos.