→ ESA HIGHLIGHTS

2019
 → CONTENTS

2 UNITED SPACE IN EUROPE

4 SPACE19+ IN SEVILLE

8 THIS IS US!

10 HIGHLIGHTS 2019

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS

12 Highlights: November 2018 to January 2019

24 Acting now to avert future asteroid impacts

30 Highlights: February to April 2019

42 Mapping from satellite to disaster zone

48 Highlights: May to July 2019

60 Beyond: the science, the astronaut, the team

66 Highlights: August to October 2019

78 Big ideas in a Small-class mission

ESA HIGHLIGHTS 2019 covers a year of ESA activities, images and events, from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2019. 84 Image credits
 → UNITED SPACE
IN EUROPE
This year, ESA reached some incredible milestones on our path to achieving
Europe’s goals in space and its applications in our daily lives. Luca Parmitano’s
return to the International Space Station was momentous. We are all
extremely proud of the Beyond mission, which lays important groundwork for
future spaceflight to the Moon.
As we push the boundaries of space exploration, we are also reminded of our
responsibility in protecting our planet. Luca’s photography from orbit, together
with images and data produced daily by our Earth Observation programme,
have helped to focus global awareness of our world’s climate crisis.
Many other important projects came to fruition: we saw the first NASA Orion
spacecraft completed, to which ESA contributed the European Service Module.
We produced the first image of a Terrestrial Gamma Ray flash, the first science
results were returned from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, while Gaia also
continues to provide insights into the Universe.
ESA’s Space19+ Ministerial Council took place on 27-28 November 2019. This
meeting brought together our 22 Member States. We presented our future
space activities and were encouraged by the high level of support for Europe’s
space programmes. Gaining agreement on such inspirational projects to
share a joint future in space might seem an impossible task – but in two days
in Seville, we proved it is possible. You can read more on the following pages
about the key moments and decisions during Space19+.
As we went to print, the preparation for Cheops is progressing well and launch
is scheduled for December 2019. We are looking forward to the mission’s first
findings about exoplanets in 2020. Next year, we have the launch of Vega-C
and Solar Orbiter, as well as the first flight of Ariane 6. These are exciting times
for the development of our capabilities in space. We have made astounding
progress in the past 40 years – but there is still huge potential to explore space
for the benefit of all. I am confident that ESA is working in the right direction.

ESA Director General Jan Wörner talks to Jan Wörner

ESA Astronaut Thomas Pesquet and
Apollo Astronauts Charlie Duke, Walt ESA Director General
Cunningham and Al Worden at the 53rd
International Le Bourget Air & Space Show
in Paris France on 17 June 2019.
2 3
 → SPACE19+
Ministers discuss future
space activities for Europe
and the budget of Europe’s
space agency for the next
three years at Space19+.

IN SEVILLE
European ministers
gathered in Seville to
discuss ESA’s vision for the
future of Europe in space

Space19+, the ESA Council meeting with ministers from

the 22 Member States, was held in Seville at the end of
November, to determine the priorities for space activities
over the next three years.

ESA developed its plans for the coming years during

two years of consultations with Member States, space
companies, politicians and, of course, the citizens. The
Director General’s proposal centred on three key ideas:
inspiration, competitiveness, and responsibility.

Member States were asked to increase their basic funding

for the ‘mandatory programmes’, which nurture inspiring
science missions and innovative research and development.

The battle against space debris and the protection of Earth

from space weather and asteroids were also important
topics. And future missions to monitor Earth’s environment
and understand climate change are also guaranteed.

The dream of European footprints on the Moon is getting

closer – for now, ESA is committed to Orion and the lunar
Gateway with NASA, as well as robotic exploration of the
Moon and Mars. But could that first European on the Moon
be you? An astronaut selection process will be announced in
2020 for new candidates to join the group selected in 2009
in travelling ever farther.

4 5
 Our vision for the future

Here are some of the key outcomes of Space19+:

• The Member States were asked to approve a comprehensive set

of programmes to secure Europe’s independent access to and use
of space in the 2020s, boost Europe’s growing space economy, and
make breakthrough discoveries about Earth, our Solar System and
the Universe beyond, all the while making the responsible choice to
strengthen the efforts to secure and protect our planet.

• For the first time in 25 years, there will be a significant boost in

funding for ESA’s world-class science programme, pushing the
boundaries of our understanding of who we are and where we come
from.

• We continue our commitment to the International Space Station

until 2030 as well as contributing vital transportation and habitation
modules for the Gateway, the first space station to orbit the Moon.

• ESA will help develop the commercial benefits of space for

innovators and governments across the Member States, boosting
competitiveness in the NewSpace environment. We will develop
the first fully flexible satellite systems to be integrated with 5G
networks, as well as next-generation optical technology for a fibre-
like ‘network in the sky’.

• ESA Ministers have secured a smooth transition to the next

generation of launchers: Ariane 6 and Vega-C, and have given the
green light to Space Rider, ESA’s new reusable spaceship.

• Our Member States have committed to the responsible use of

our environment both on and off our planet. ESA’s world-leading
position in Earth observation will be strengthened with the arrival
of 11 new missions, in particular addressing topics linked to climate
change, Arctic and Africa.

• There was also a significant development with the adoption of

Space Safety as a new basic pillar of ESA’s activities.

• The coming years will also see ESA reinforce its relationship with
the European Union and increase its own organisational agility,
effectiveness and efficiency.
Top: Ministers from ESA’s Member
States, along with Associate Member
Slovenia and Cooperating State
Canada, gathered in Seville.
Bottom: Director General Jan Wörner
6 7
 → THIS IS US! HQ A ESTEC B ESRIN C

Located in Paris, ESA HQ is home
to the administration of our
ESA’s establishments and its dedicated people truly establishments and close to the
political heart of Europe. This is
embody a spirit of international cooperation. United where ESA’s space strategy and
in our efforts to keep Europe at the forefront of space policy are developed.
The European Space Research
and Technology Centre in the
Netherlands is the technical
heart of ESA. Its vast site
includes facilities for testing
satellites and space technology.
ESA’s centre for Earth
observation, based at ESRIN in
Italy, helps to manage a fleet of
satellites that cover the globe
and constantly monitor the
health of our planet.

we work and cooperate across borders.

ESOC D EAC E ESEC F

Teams at the European Space
Operations Centre in Darmstadt,
Germany, fly missions around
our planet and deep into the
Solar System using a global
F ESEC network of ground stations.
education and security
The European Astronaut Centre
in Germany is home to ESA’s
astronaut corps. This is where
European astronauts are trained
for space missions.
ESA’s facilities in Redu, Belgium,
are part of its global satellite
tracking network. ESEC is home
to the Space Weather Data
Centre and is also a centre for
education and space security.

B ESTEC
space technology
and satellite testing
ESAC G ECSAT H

The European Space Astronomy Based in Harwell, UK, this is ESA’s

Centre, near Madrid, is home
to the operations centres for
ESA HEADQUARTERS A E EAC astronomy and planetary
home to European astronauts science missions and holds
their data archives.
newest establishment and has
a focus on telecommunications,
technology, business applications
and climate change.

ECSAT H D ESOC
space mission control operations
telecommunications

ESAC G EUROPE’S I
astronomy and
planetary science
SPACEPORT
Based in Kourou, French Guiana,
Europe’s gateway to space
C ESRIN
Earth observation Eight establishments. is jointly operated with the
French space agency CNES and
One spaceport. Arianespace, with support from
European industry.

I EUROPE’S SPACEPORT One ESA.

8 9
 Four pillars.
→ HIGHLIGHTS 2019 One amazing ESA.
A quick flip through these pages reveals a year of diverse achievements for ESA. Their range
One amazing year.
shows how we really are Europe’s comprehensive space agency, active across every area of the
space sector.

ESA’s activities require close cooperation between establishments and centres of expertise. We
work together as One ESA, bridging geographical distances and uniting individual talents. With
this in mind, ESA is organised into four strong pillars. These pillars are a solid foundation of skills
and knowledge and we use them to deliver the benefits of space to everyone.

SCIENCE & EXPLORATION

APPLICATIONS
Space solutions
Answering the big for everyday
science questions challenges
SPACE SAFETY & SECURITY

ENABLING & SUPPORT

Working to help
Europe’s reliable
keep Earth and
gateway to space
space safe

10 11
 This colour-coded

→ SELECTED
topographic view shows
the relative heights of the
terrain in and around the
Korolev crater, an ice-filled
crater in the northern

HIGHLIGHTS
lowlands of Mars. Lower
parts of the surface are
shown in blues and purples,
while higher-altitude
regions show up in whites,
browns and reds, as
indicated on the scale to the
top right. The crater’s thick
deposit of ice can be seen at
the centre of the frame. November 2018 to January 2019

The successful As 2018 came to a fruitful end, ESA marked several

milestones. ESA’s Mars Express mission completed
conclusion of 15 years in orbit around the Red Planet. It sent
back an image of the ice-filled Korolev crater,
Horizons and 82 km wide, taken by the Mars Express High
spectacular images Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC). This wintry
image went viral on ESA’s social media channels.
of Mars made We also welcomed home ESA Astronaut Alexander
the end of 2018 Gerst as he returned from his Horizons mission. It
was Alexander’s second visit to the International
a year for ESA to Space Station and this time he fulfilled the role of
remember! commander as well as completing a busy science
schedule. We were all extremely happy to have
Alexander back for Christmas!

In the new year, the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite

captured a landscape blanketed in snow, as
Turkey and much of Europe suffered a cold snap,
while data from GOCE, the now-defunct gravity-
mapping satellite, gave an insight into what lies
beneath Antarctica.

Also in January, ESA published news of its

proposed Hera mission. The Juventas CubeSat,
developed for ESA by GomSpace and GMV, will
perform the first subsurface radar survey of an
asteroid. Read more about ESA’s planetary defence
programme, including Hera, the Flyeye telescope
and the Near-Earth Object Coordation Centre, on
page 24.
12 13
 → HOT TOPIC

Spotlight on the Sun and space weather

To coincide with the 15th European Space
Weather Week in November, ESA highlighted
new plans to monitor space weather. Charged
particles and radiation emitted by the Sun
create ‘space weather’ that can affect navigation
and communication systems, power grids and
spacecraft in orbit. ESA’s proposals included → LOST AND FOUND
the Lagrange mission, a satellite-based early-
warning system that will provide time for
Ancient continents found under Antarctica
protective measures to be taken.
ESA’s gravity-mapping GOCE satellite may be gone, but its data lives
on and continues to provide fresh insights into our planet. GOCE’s 3D
gravity maps have allowed researchers to peer beneath Antarctica’s
ice sheet, revealing remnants of ancient continents and a glimpse
of the geological history of Earth’s least understood landmass.
14 15
→ COSMIC COLD FRONT

Galactic ‘weather front’ discovered

Data from a trio of space telescopes, including ESA’s XMM-Newton,
have revealed a vast cold front that’s older than our Solar System.
A temperature map of the Perseus galaxy shows this cold structure
drifting out from the centre following a collision between galaxy
clusters around five billion years ago!

→ POWERFUL PARTNERSHIP

The European Service Module has landed

The spirit of cooperation behind the International Space
Station continues in ESA’s partnership with NASA and
the building of the Orion spacecraft. On 6 November,
the European Service Module landed at Kennedy Space
Center. Drawing on the expertise that developed ESA’s
Automated Transfer Vehicle, this module will power the
Orion spacecraft in deep space.
16 17
→ WEATHER WATCHER

MetOp-C weather satellite in orbit

MetOp-C is the third and last of a series
of weather satellites developed by
ESA in cooperation with Eumetsat. On
7 November, the four-tonne satellite
was launched on a Soyuz rocket and
placed in orbit. MetOp-C joins its two
predecessors, which are both still going
strong, and will further improve the
accuracy of weather forecasts.

→ HAPPY LANDING!

A happy ending for Horizons

On 20 December, ESA astronaut Alexander
Gerst arrived back on Earth – just in
time for Christmas! Alexander and his
crewmates had the ride of their lives
before landing on the Kazakh Steppe.
Their ‘routine’ landing required rapid
braking from 28 800 km/h to zero, which
even Santa would have to admit was a
pretty impressive way to get back home!

18 19
 → SNOWED UNDER

Sentinel-3 captures snowfall chaos

While snow caused chaos in Austria and
Germany, the cold snap also reached
Turkey as shown in this Copernicus
Sentinel-3 image from 9 January. The
unusual snowfall led to remote villages
being cut off, while schools and offices
were closed. Big cities in the west,
including Ankara, were also affected.
→ OVER THE MOON

Plans for lunar exploration

A total lunar eclipse grabbed everyone’s attention in
the January night sky, providing a great opportunity
to share ESA’s future plans for exploration and
transporting cargo to the Moon.
20 21
 → FIRED UP!

New P120C rocket motor tested

Europe’s new P120C solid rocket motor,
which will power both Vega-C and Ariane 6,
was tested in January. Fully loaded with 142
tonnes of fuel, the P120C motor was ignited
and underwent a 135-second test firing.
Measurements made will ensure the P120C
is ready for Vega-C’s debut launch.

→ LUNAR DESTINATION

New research facility for Moon missions

As Europe prepares for future Moon missions, scientists are studying the effects
of lunar gravity to identify risks and create ways to keep astronauts healthy.
ESA’s space medicine team and its partners are using the new Luna 2 facility at
the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne to help with their research.

22 23
 → ACTING NOW TO AVERT
FUTURE ASTEROID
IMPACTS
ESA is working on Europe’s most powerful
asteroid-detection telescopes as well as a
mission to test and monitor asteroid deflection.
How will these help protect Earth?
P
lanetary defence is a key part of ESA’s Space Safety
Programme, with three priorities: observation,
monitoring and mitigation of the risk posed by Near-
Earth Objects (NEOs), most of them being Near-Earth
Asteroids (NEAs). An object greater than 15 m across can
survive intact as it enters Earth’s atmosphere and can cause
considerable damage when it impacts or burns up mid-air.
Sixty-six million years ago, the Chicxulub impactor in
Mexico, at more than 11 km in diameter, was deadly for
three quarters of life on planet Earth (including, of course,
the dinosaurs). In 1908, the forest-flattening Tunguska
event in Russia was most likely caused by an asteroid
measuring about 50 m across disintegrating in mid-air. Also
in Russia, in 2013, the explosion of the Chelyabinsk meteor,
about 20 m in diameter, created a shockwave that caused
considerable damage to buildings and windows, injuring
almost 1500 people.
If an asteroid the size of the Chelyabinsk or Tunguska
impactors were to hit a modern city, there would be
devastation. ESA’s Planetary Defence Officer, Rüdiger Jehn,
says: “Having telescopes that can detect these objects in
advance is a big advantage. Every 20 to 30 years something
like Chelyabinsk occurs. If we have advanced warning, civil
24
authorities can take precautions, such as evacuating the
probable impact area.”
Hera’s mission to Didymos
Although early warnings of possible asteroid impacts are
vitally important, we don’t have to just sit and wait to see
what’s going to happen. ESA and NASA are collaborating
on a mission to test whether a spacecraft could be used to
deflect an asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth.
The Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA), will
study the kinetic effects of crashing an impactor spacecraft
into an asteroid moon. Hera is ESA’s contribution to this
Deployed from ESA‘s Hera
mission. In the first step, NASA will conduct a technology mission, Europe’s miniature
demonstration mission, known as the Double Asteroid APEX spacecraft will operate
Redirection Test (DART), which will launch in 2021 and use the as a mineral prospector
kinetic impactor technique to attempt to change the course in deep space, surveying
the make-up of its target
of an asteroid in space by crashing a spacecraft into it. asteroids down to individual
boulders, helping prepare
The asteroid in question is the smaller of a double (‘binary’) the way for future mining
asteroid system: the 780 m diameter Didymos A and its missions. It will carry a
spectral imager, a secondary
smaller satellite Didymos B, dubbed ‘Didymoon’, which, ion mass analyser and a
at just 160 m in diameter, is about the size of the Great magnetometer.
25
 HOW FLYEYE WORKS
The field of view covered by the telescope is split into
Hera’s Project Manager Ian Carnelli says: “NASA’s DART 16 smaller ones by a pyramid-shaped beam splitter.
Each of these 16 smaller fields passes through a lens
will be the first mission to deflect an asteroid and we hope system (called secondary optical tube, SOT) into a
ESA will be the first agency to assess in detail the resulting separate camera
effects. The planetary defence community has reached
complete consensus on the most efficient technique to use
for asteroid deflection that requires demonstration. This
is the kinetic impactor – a very simple concept – which FIELD OF VIEW DETECTION
will change the asteroid’s velocity in a way that will be Flyeye telescopes can observe
6.7° x 6.7° of the sky at any
CAPABILITY
measurable from Earth. With DART and Hera, we will have
one time, which corresponds to Able to detect objects
a fully validated asteroid deflection technique enabling
about 200 times the area of the of 40 m diameter three
humankind to avoid future impacts.” Moon as seen from the Earth weeks before their impact

Ian points out that working closely with NASA on the AIDA
Hera will fly close to Didymoon, mapping its entire surface down to a resolution of a
few metres, and the surface surrounding the DART crater down to less than 10 cm collaboration is an important aspect of the project: “The SOFTWARE DATA PRODUCED
resolution, through a series of flybys. collaboration with another agency and its investigation The telescope relies on various With 16 cameras taking
team is important as this is what would happen in a real software components, including photos every 40 seconds
impact scenario. In addition, the Space Mission Planning software for monitoring and with a 4k x 4k resolution,
controlling the telescope, data a terabyte of data will be
Pyramid of Giza. Both objects orbit the Sun 150 to 250 Advisory Group (SMPAG), supported by the United Nations, processing & archiving, telescope produced every night
million km from Earth. is allowing us to put down the foundations for a wider tasking, orbit determination &
international forum to plan future mitigation actions.” impact monitoring
In the second step, Hera will launch in 2024 and its aim is to
measure the effects of DART’s impact on the asteroid. It will SMPAG is chaired by ESA and, together with the NASA- MIRROR HOUSING
achieve several firsts, including being the first mission to chaired International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN),
A single mirror of 1 m The telescope will be
rendezvous with and study a binary asteroid system and the is one of the two UN-mandated committees that lead the equivalent aperture collects housed inside a dome and
first to conduct radar tomography of an asteroid. global effort to detect and mitigate asteroid risks. the light from the entire 6.7° placed on an equatorial
x 6.7° field of view and feeds mount, which will support
a pyramid-shaped beam and manoeuvre the
splitter with 16 facets telescope

ASTEROID IMPACT
The Hera spacecraft is planned for launch in
2024 and will release the Apex and Juventas
cubesats when it reaches the Didymos
DIDYMOS
asteroids

DART LICIACube
The Double Asteroid DIDYMOON
Redirect Test (DART) The Light Italian CubeSat
mission is NASA’s for Imaging of Asteroids
component of AIDA (LICIACube)

HERA spacecraft
Hera is the European contribu-
tion to AIDA. Hera’s onboard
instruments: JUVENTAS
• Asteroid Framing Camera (AFC) cubesat
• Laser radar (Lidar) Measures the
• Hyperspectral imager gravity field and the
internal structure
of Didymoon

APEX cubesat
Measures the sunlight
reflected from both
asteroids to take detailed
spectral measurements
of their surfaces

26 27

Flyeye telescope‘s expected
date for first light: second
half of 2020 (at factory).
Flyeye
The Flyeye telescope is the leading observation project
within ESA’s Space Safety Programme. It is due to become
operational by 2021 and will be placed in a location with
clear skies and little light pollution, at 1860 m on Monte
Mufara in Sicily, the same island where the first asteroid
Ceres was discovered in 1801. The telescope is currently
being built by OHB in Milan. Udo Kugel, technical officer
for Flyeye, explains: “The innovative design of the Flyeye
telescope comprises 16 lenses arranged like a fly’s eye,
providing an extra-wide field of vision and specifically
designed for scanning rather than observation like a
traditional astronomical telescope.” This revolutionary
telescope is just the first component in the planned
Flyeye network, with plans for at least two further Flyeye
telescopes in the southern hemisphere.
Gunther Sessler, Flyeye telescope project manager, says:
“This is an innovative project that includes several ‘firsts’,
including splitting the beam of light from the incoming
signal, to 16 cameras which observe different (adjacent)
areas in the sky.” And Ernesto Doelling, ESA space safety
ground systems manager, adds: “Flyeye will be able to
detect NEOs of around 40 m in diameter, two or three
weeks before they could hit the Earth, so this increases
the probability of detecting an asteroid before impact. The
completion of the Flyeye network would make ESA a major
source of asteroid detection in the world.”
Keeping track
Since 2013, ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre
(NEOCC), at ESA’s ESRIN centre in Frascati, near Rome, has
been building a catalogue of asteroid data. Its purpose is
to evaluate and monitor the risk of NEOs and this is where
Flyeye observations will be coordinated and planned. The
NEOCC keeps track of known NEAs, which currently number
more than 21 300, and publishes a risk list that tracks all
objects for which a non-zero impact probability has been
detected. Currently there are more than 990.
According to Juan Luis Cano, Information System Manager
at the NEOCC, about 160 new NEAs are discovered each
month. He explains: “Most of these new discoveries are
currently made by US-funded efforts – this is why Flyeye
will be so important. It will enable ESA to be a key player
in the discovery of new asteroids.” The impact threat
according to the Palermo scale is calculated based on the
asteroid’s diameter, its impact probability and the projected
time of potential impact.
While larger objects, such as the Chelyabinsk
or Tunguska asteroids, reach Earth far less
frequently, objects of 15 m can still cause
significant damage and are far more
frequent.
Detecting the future
The future is looking bright for
asteroid detection and deflection
missions. As well as Flyeye and
ASTEROID SIZES AND
FREQUENCY OF IMPACT
>20 m 5m 1m
FREQUENCY:
Once every 30 years Every 1-2 years Several per
year (but don’t
cause damage)
Hera, the international community is working on other
innovative programmes including space telescopes and new
asteroid deflection techniques. One of these techniques is a
‘gravity tractor’, which entails flying a spacecraft next to an
asteroid over a period of many years. The gravity between the
two objects will, over time, pull the asteroid towards the
spacecraft.
The NEOCC risk list shows that the asteroid
Apophis – approximately 350 m in diameter
– could potentially collide with Earth in 2068.
The same asteroid is due to pass near to Earth
in 2029, enabling astronomers to make very
precise observations. Rüdiger says: “After that
we will know if it will impact Earth in 2068 or
not. Then we will still have 40 years to plan or
prepare.”

PLANETARY DEFENCE TIMELINE

NEO Mission
Advisory Panel
(NEOMAP) – an Asteroid Impact
independent panel and Deflection
of experts set up Assessment
by ESA to provide (AIDA) mission: Predictive
ESA/EUROPE

guidance on NEO Hera – launch in Asteroid kinetic

missions Rosetta 2024 Flyeye 1 Flyeye 2 and 3 explorers impactor

1995-2010 2004-2011 2018-2028 2020-2021 2021-2030 2026 FUTURE

INTERNATIONAL

1995-2010 2003 2010 2013 2014 2016-2023 2018-2028 2024 2026 FUTURE
Series of discovery JAXA’s CNSA’s UN approves JAXA’s NASA’s AIDA mission: The Large Space- Gravity
programmes Hayabusa Chang’e 2 two committees Hayabusa 2 OSIRIS-REx DART – launch Synoptic Survey based tractor
including NEAT, to address the in 2021 Telescope (LSST) telescope
LONEOS, risk of asteroid
Spacewatch and impacts: IAWN
NEOWISE and SMPAG

28 29
 A black hole in our Milky

→ SELECTED
Way, some 800 light-
years from Earth, has
been observed behaving
strangely. Astrophysicists
using ESA‘s Integral

HIGHLIGHTS
high-energy observatory
noted that V404 Cygni spits
out ‘bullets’ of plasma at
varying angles as it rotates
through space. These
unusual ejections could be
related to the black hole‘s
10 million kilometre-wide
accredition disc.
February to April 2019

Events this quarter There were more close-ups of the Red Planet, with
the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter sending back an
highlighted Earth’s incredible image of the surface of Mars, which
was scarred by the activity of small tornadoes
climate crisis. churning up the planet’s surface to leave a criss-
ESA published cross pattern. The TGO also sent back high quality
data about atmospheric conditions on the planet.
images of melting In March, Cyclone Idai swept through
glaciers and Cyclone Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, leaving
scenes of destruction. At least 1300 people are
Idai wrought known to have died and vast areas were left under
devastation. water. The Copernicus Sentinel satellites were
able to provide vital mapping data of the flooded
areas, to support civil protection authorities and
aid agencies as they dealt with the major disaster.
See the article on ESA’s contribution to this on
page 42.

Satellite data published in April kept Earth’s

climate crisis in sharp focus, with the finding that
335 billion tonnes of ice is currently being lost
each year from the world’s glaciers. This compares
with nine trillion tonnes of ice lost between 1961
and 2016 – a significant acceleration. Copernicus
Sentinel-2 is set to contribute increasingly to the
precise monitoring of glacier change in future.
30 31
→ ROSALIND THE ROVER

ExoMars rover named after DNA scientist

The ExoMars rover that will search for the
building blocks of life on the Red Planet was
officially named Rosalind Franklin in February.
This is in recognition of the British scientist’s
work on the structure of DNA and also
highlights this similarly ground-breaking 2021
mission to search for evidence of life on Mars.

→ LOVE YOUR PLANET

Valentine’s message for Earth

Valentine’s Day gave us a chance to
celebrate our love for the planet we
live on. With some of the best Earth
images taken from space and news
stories on Earth Observation and
Human Spaceflight, ESA showed its
heart is in the right place.
32 33
→ VOLCANIC PLUMBING

Underground link between volcanoes revealed

Scientists investigating the eruption of Bali’s Mount Agung in 2017
have shown that this long-dormant volcano is linked to its neighbour,
Batur. They used data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite to map
ground motion, revealing the volcanoes’ shared plumbing system.
Their research may also help to forecast future eruptions in the area.

→ DUST DEVILS ON MARS

Martian landscape churned by tornadoes

A colour-enhanced image of the Red Planet
taken from the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars
Trace Gas Orbiter shows remarkable
patterns criss-crossing the martian
landscape. The marks are thought to be
created by dust devil activity, which occurs
when many small tornadoes converge. The
whirlwinds disturb surface dust and expose
fresher material below.
34 35
 → GLOBAL ICE MELT

Vanishing glaciers feed sea-level rise

Research using satellite data shows
Earth’s glaciers lost more than nine trillion
tonnes of ice between 1961 and 2016,
raising sea levels by 27 mm. Crucially,
the rate of glacier loss has increased
significantly in the past 30 years.
Currently, a total of 335 billion tonnes of
ice is melting each year, accounting for
about 30 per cent of sea-level rise.

→ THE FUTURE LOOKS BUMPY

Gaia data reveals details on future galaxy crash

The second data release from ESA’s Gaia satellite has given scientists
an insight into two galaxies beyond our Milky Way: Andromeda and
Triangulum. One discovery is that Andromeda will one day collide with
our galaxy, but that it will be a glancing blow and 600 million years
later than previously thought.

36 37
→ EXOMARS TGO IN ACTION
Data furthers understanding of Red Planet
→ NORTHERN LIGHT SHOW
After a year in orbit, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter
(TGO) has shed light on atmospheric conditions on
Mars, particularly on the surprising lack of methane and
the planet’s huge dust storm. Håkan Svedhem, ESA’s
TGO project scientist, told a press briefing in April that
ExoMars TGO instruments have provided ‘exquisite data
to a much higher level than previously achieved’.
38
Solar winds create art on Earth
In early March we joined the #AuroraHunters in
Tromsø, Norway, to observe space weather at its
finest: the aurora borealis. The Northern Lights
appear when particles emitted by the Sun collide
with Earth’s atmosphere. But space weather is also
potentially damaging to the infrastructure necessary
for daily life and business, including communications
networks, satellites and power grids.
39
→ POLE POSITION?

ESA data key to tracking magnetic north

Thanks to constant movement beneath
Earth’s crust, magnetic north, the reference
point for maps and navigation, is always
on the move. Data from ESA’s trio of
Swarm satellites has helped to provide an
update to the World Magnetic Model, so
smartphone users and navigators around
the globe are thankfully back on track.

→ BRACE FOR IMPACT

How would you prepare for an asteroid strike?

In April, the @esaoperations Twitter channel
covered a simulated asteroid impact exercise live
on social media. It highlighted how scientists,
space agencies and governments would react.
In such a scenario, data from ESA’s sky-scanning
‘Flyeye’ telescope will be crucial. See the article
on page 24 for more about Flyeye.

40 41
 → MAPPING FROM
SATELLITE TO
DISASTER ZONE
Maps based on satellite data are
valuable tools during emergency situations
– how is the data delivered to the scene
of the disaster within hours?

I
n March 2019, Tropical Cyclone Idai hit the southeast
coast of Africa, bringing winds in excess of 160 km/h,
torrential rain and flooding, first to central Mozambique,
then to Malawi and Zimbabwe. Wide-scale flooding
caused damage to power cables, communications and water
supply. The humanitarian disaster brought more than 1300
This means we can ensure
deaths, disease and loss of crops. During major disasters
such as this, ESA plays an important role in making satellite
an image is delivered within
data and maps available for emergency relief and aid work.
It does this mainly through two international cooperation
24 hours of an activation
mechanisms:

• the International Charter Space and Major Disasters (the

Charter), which logged an emergency activation (#598)
for Cyclone Idai in Mozambique on 14 March 2019, with a
second activation (#599) for Zimbabwe two days later; and
• the Copernicus Emergency Management Service
(Copernicus EMS), which also received an activation (#348)
for Cyclone Idai on 15 March 2019.
ESA is a key supporter of the Charter and Copernicus EMS.
The first is a collaboration of 17 space agencies, including
founding members ESA, the French space agency (CNES) and
the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), set up in November 2000.
The EMS Mapping service, together with the Early Warning
42
System, is one of six services provided by Copernicus. It was
established in 2012 and is implemented with the expertise
of the European Commission DG Joint Research Centre (JRC).
Copernicus is managed by the European Commission and
operated in partnership with ESA, EU member states and
other EU agencies and organisations.
People collect metal
While the Charter and Copernicus EMS Rapid Mapping sheets from a damaged
are two separate mechanisms with some key operational supermarket to rebuild
differences, they work in parallel on emergency response their destroyed houses
following the devastation
and, since 2018, they have had a collaboration agreement to
caused by Cyclone Idai in
exchange operational information on an emergency basis Beira, Mozambique, on 21
and share data and value-added image products. March 2019.
43
 Maurice Borgeaud, head of the ESA Science, Applications and
Climate Department, and ESA representative at the Board
of the Charter notes: “The cooperation between the Charter
and Copernicus EMS provides a win-win solution, to which
both entities bring their data, competences, and know-how
in order to unleash the power of information from Earth
observation satellites to support relief and humanitarian
organisations worldwide when natural disasters occur.”
This point is also supported by Philippe Bally, Earth
observation specialist at ESA: “Using commercial satellites
as well as the Copernicus Sentinels adds a huge degree
of flexibility in the planning of a response. This means we
can ensure an image is delivered within 24 hours of an
activation, although the ability to provide satellite data in a
rapid fashion really depends on the location of the disaster
area, the time of the activation and the cloud cover.”

In total, 320 satellite images were provided by the Charter

Activating an emergency response
Both the Charter and Copernicus EMS can be activated
by a predefined list of appointed organisations, known
as Authorised Users (AUs). ESA operates the Copernicus
Emergency Satellite Tasking (REACT) service, which receives
satellite data acquisition requests for activations from
Copernicus-enabled rapid mapping providers. REACT
operations are managed by Veronique Amans, Earth
observation service manager at ESA. In response to the
activation for Cyclone Idai, Copernicus EMS’s Rapid Mapping
service provided 41 maps, consisting of delineation and
grading maps. Veronique says: “We have a tool that shows
when satellites are going over the affected area – we can
then contact the relevant data provider to task that satellite.
We then follow the acquisition up to the data delivery.”
For this activation, REACT involved Copernicus Sentinel-1
and also procured commercial satellite imagery including
COSMO-SkyMed, Pleiades and Geoeye.
MAPPING LANDSLIDES IS CRITICAL
More than 1000 landslides were triggered by Cyclone Idai over a region
around 50 sq. km. Mapping is critical to guide emergency services;
satellite imagery and artificial intelligence help speed up this process.
for this activation, including 34 Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar
images and two Sentinel-2 optical images, while Copernicus
EMS and several other organisations provided value-adding
support. Thirty-five maps were shared with the Charter AUs
as well as end-users in Mozambique.
An immediate problem in March 2019 was that neither
Mozambique nor Zimbabwe had a Charter AU at that time,
making it a more complex activation than usual. The Charter
AU in Brazil (CENAD) submitted a request to the Charter
on behalf of Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster
Management (INGC) and, in parallel, the Charter received a
request from UNITAR/UNOSAT on behalf of the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Following these requests, the Charter processes were
activated using its central operational system COS-2, which
unifies the process of satellite tasking and data delivery.
Earth observation data in the field Flood impact map over Beira, Mozambique generated by SERTIT using Pleiades post- Situation map over Central Sofala by DLR/ZKI using Copernicus Sentinel-1 (pre- and post-
event imagery. event), Copernicus Sentinel-2 (pre-event) and TerraSAR-X (pre- and post-event) imagery.
In disaster emergency responses, EO products can be used
to prepare rescue teams and plan helicopter search flights.
They can also estimate how many people might be affected,
which helps to plan resources – for example to assess the
number of water bottles, food kits and other humanitarian
help needed. During Cyclone Idai, satellite images were
used to identify flooded areas and a UN report details how
Charter data was used in the wake of Idai to analyse affected
buildings and plan aid in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

According to ESA’s Roberto Biasutti, responsible within ESA

for the Charter operations, the Charter seeks to appoint
a project manager for each activation in the area of the
disaster. He says: “Being in the same time zone, familiarity
with the country and speaking the same language as the
local end users increases the success of the activation. This Delineation map over Mafambisse generated by Copernicus EMS using Copernicus Grading map over Beira generated by Copernicus EMS using Copernicus Sentinel-2 pre-
Sentinel-2 pre-event imagery and Pleiades post-event imagery. event imagery and Copernicus Sentinel-1 and RADARSAT-2 post-event imagery.
isn’t always possible and in the case of Cyclone Idai, the
Charter selected a project manager from another country.”

CENAD’s Rafael Machado, from the Brazilian Ministry of

Example of landslides (red contour) triggered by tropical Cyclone Idai,
automatically mapped by the processing chain ALADIM from CNRS-EOST.
In the background the first cloud-free post-event Copernicus Sentinel-2
acquisition of 25 March 2019.
44
Regional Development, stepped into this role from his base
in Brasilia. He explains that Cyclone Idai was a very fast-
moving emergency and posed a challenge not only to the
activation process but also in terms of communication with
the local teams due to the damage to local infrastructure
and difference in time zones, as well as local teams not
having a good understanding of the kind of data the Charter
could provide. He says: “It was such a huge disaster that the
local teams were overwhelmed.” Rafael notes that some of
the difficulties during this activation included insufficient
internet speed for downloading very large radar images, as
well as a lack of resources for processing data and making
it available within a useful timeframe. He says: “This was a
very challenging aspect. It could take seven to eight hours
to download and produce a product and by that time the
reality on the ground had already changed.”
Activations this year
In 2019, both Copernicus and Charter services responded to
different types of emergencies including flooding in Russia,
wildfires in the Amazon, Sardinia and Siberia, a landslide in
Bolivia, a dam collapse in Brazil and a volcanic eruption in
Peru. In 2019, the Charter was on track to respond to more
than 39 disasters, while Copernicus EMS will have provided
45
 Debris and destroyed
buildings in the Praia Nova
neighbourhood in Beira,
Mozambique, two weeks
after Cyclone Idai hit
the Mozambican coast in
March 2019.
46
EARTH
EXPLORERS ADD
TO THE PICTURE
Two of ESA’s Earth
Explorer satellites, SMOS
(Soil Moisture and Ocean
Salinity) and Aeolus,
which measures winds
in the lower 30 km of
Earth’s atmosphere,
also measured Cyclone
Idai. While SMOS and
Aeolus do not provide data
for emergency response
activations, the images SMOS took a reading of ocean-surface winds of up to 118 Aeolus measured wind speed around the cyclone on 11
are nonetheless valuable km/h near the centre of Cyclone Idai on 13 March. March while it was still west of Madagascar, with easterly
for the scientific study winds of up to 150 km/h to the north of the cyclone
of cyclones. combining with strong westerly winds to the south.
satellite-based maps for more than 72 disasters worldwide. On the side of the European Commission, this is confirmed
In April, Cyclone Idai was followed by Cyclone Kenneth: the by Francoise Villette, head of the Copernicus Emergency
strongest cyclone ever to hit the African continent, with Management Service, who adds: “In addition to the support
gusts of up to 220 km/h. According to the UN Office for the provided to immediate emergency response actors by the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), it is the first Copernicus Rapid Mapping, assistance is also paramount
time in recorded history that two strong tropical cyclones for disaster prevention, preparedness and reconstruction.
have hit Mozambique in the same season. This underlines This is provided by the Copernicus Risk & Recovery Mapping
that, as climate breakdown continues to bring extreme service, assisting planners and decision-makers to assess
weather, satellite data and mapping will be increasingly pre-disaster population vulnerability, risks to assets and
required for dealing with major disasters such as these. infrastructure as well as post-disaster recovery monitoring.
They need to work hand-in-hand in a seamless manner
with the early warning service providers in order to assist
Future of service affected populations to respond most effectively to the
increased frequency and intensity of disasters in today’s and
Both the Charter and Copernicus EMS services are set to tomorrow’s world.”
evolve to improve the way in which data is made accessible
to end users during major emergencies. According to Daniel
Ferner, Copernicus service account manager, Copernicus
EMS is likely to move to a data-as-a-service model: “We
are continuously developing the data access service and
we expect further evolution enhancements to come. For
example, the Cloud will enable end products to be produced
and delivered faster, and service providers will have They need to work
different ways to access data, possibly through subscription
models.” hand-in-hand... to assist
Roberto Biasutti confirms that the Charter has similar plans.
He says: “Project managers and end users have to download affected populations to
a huge volume of data. The Charter is considering how
to make this available through an online platform, which respond most effectively
would include pre-processed data. The second step would
be to enable some image processing online but overall, we
to the increased
need much faster data.”
Head of ESA’s Copernicus Space Office, Simon Jutz, adds:
frequency and intensity
“Europe is leading in Earth observation with its worldwide
observation programme and it is proposed to extend the
of disasters in today’s
Copernicus capabilities beyond the scope of the current
multi-financial framework 2014–20.”
and tomorrow’s world
47
 This is the first image of the

→ SELECTED
complete Orion spacecraft
that will fly around the Moon
on the Artemis-1 mission.
It‘s pictured at NASA‘s
Kennedy Space Center in

HIGHLIGHTS
Florida, USA, showing the
full spacecraft with the
European Service Module
contributed by ESA, as
well as the Crew Module
Adapater and Crew Module.
It was unveiled on the 50th
anniversary of the Moon
landing.
May to July 2019

The launch of the On 20 July, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano began

his second tour of duty aboard the International
Beyond mission Space Station, during which he became the third
ESA astronaut and the first Italian to command
was a high point for the Station. Before the launch, he made time to
ESA this summer speak to us – read the article on page 60.

but there were This was certainly a highlight in a summer that

was notable for several inspiring and memorable
other successes too. moments, including the completion of the Orion
spacecraft. ESA contributed the European Service
Module to this ESA-NASA mission, which will
send a spacecraft with astronauts beyond the
Moon. The 4-m long module provides electricity,
water, oxygen and nitrogen as well as keeping the
spacecraft at the right temperature and on course.

Also in July, ESA participated in the International

Paris Air Show, where ESA Director General Jan
Wörner welcomed French President Emmanuel
Macron and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet to the
ESA stand at Le Bourget.

These inspiring moments were countered by Earth

observation images released during the Living
Planet Symposium in Milan in May, showing views
from space of melting permafrost in Siberia. At
the end of July, Copernicus Sentinel-3 brought us
images of the smoke plumes from hundreds of
unprecedented wildfires in Siberia, Greenland and
Alaska. Even as we celebrate our successes, we are
reminded of the reality now facing our planet.
48 49
→ OPTICAL COMMUNICATION

Laser precision in the night sky

ESA’s Optical Ground Station in Tenerife
announced it will expand its role in
laser-based communication for space
missions, as well as space debris
monitoring and removal. The OGS is
part of the island’s Teide Observatory,
some 2400 m above sea level. The
high altitude and clear skies make
Spain’s Canary Islands one of the
world’s best locations for astronomy.

→ SATELLITE OF THE FUTURE

A reconfigurable mission for Europe

Eutelsat Quantum is the first
European satellite that can be
completely reprogrammed after
launch. This pioneering mission, an
ESA Partnership Project with Eutelsat
and Airbus as prime contractor, will
influence how telecom satellites are
operated in future. The satellite’s
coverage, frequency and power can be
adjusted while in orbit. In May, the
satellite’s payload and platform were
assembled successfully.

50 51
→ TRACKING PERMAFROST FROM SPACE

Living Planet and climate change

Satellites are an important part of monitoring permafrost, as discussed
at the Living Planet Symposium in May. The frozen soil, rock or sediment
can be hundreds of metres thick but when it thaws, it releases
greenhouse gases and water. Copernicus Sentinel-2 has captured pools
of water such as these in the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia.

→ INTRODUCING SPACEBOK

The future of robotic space exploration

SpaceBok, the gazelle-like planetary
exploration robot able to jump with all
four legs off the ground, was tested
at ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in the
Netherlands. Designed by a team of
Swiss students, the robot is being used
to investigate the potential of ‘dynamic
walking’ to get around in low-gravity
environments.

52 53
 → INTERNATIONAL PARIS AIR SHOW

A warm welcome at the ESA stand

On 17 June, ESA’s Director General Jan Wörner
welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron
and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who were
visiting the ESA stand at Le Bourget. During the
event, Mr Wörner and Mr Pesquet also took part
in a panel discussion with Apollo astronauts
Charlie Duke, Walt Cunningham and Al Worden.

→ TRAINING FOR SPACE BELOW THE WAVES

Cristoforetti at helm of NEEMO 23

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti spent time with the
crew at the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations
(NEEMO), which trains astronauts for life in space. Here
she is pictured with the NEEMO 23 crew, of which she is
the commander, outside the Aquarius underwater habitat,
located roughly 10 km off the coast of Key Largo, Florida.
54 55
 → MELTING A SATELLITE

Minimising our space debris

As part of ESA’s Clean Space initiative,
researchers took one of the densest parts
→ IT FOR SPACE MISSIONS
of an Earth-orbiting satellite, placed it in
a plasma wind tunnel then proceeded
Hera’s radiation-proof brain to melt it into vapour. Their goal was to
better understand how satellites burn up
ESA’s Hera mission to the double during re-entry, to minimise the risk of
Didymos asteroids will rely on a endangering life on the ground.
fail-proof onboard computer, which
has to operate up to 490 million km
from Earth and withstand four years
of harsh radiation exposure. The
engineering model of the computer
was prepared for environmental
testing at QinetiQ Space’s facility in
Kruibeke, Belgium. Read more about
the Hera mission on page 24.
56 57
 → SMOKE SEEN FROM SPACE

Siberia’s unprecedented wildfires

At the end of July, hundreds of wildfires broke out in Siberia,
some of which are shown in this Copernicus Sentinel-3 image.
Various regions of the Arctic were affected, including Greenland
and Alaska. The fires, which released harmful pollutants and
toxic gases into the atmosphere, were caused by record-
breaking temperatures and lightning, fuelled by strong winds.

→ ARIANE 6 MOBILE GANTRY

A supporting role at Kourou

In July, the Ariane 6 mobile gantry, a colossal 90 m high
metallic structure built to protect the launcher until five
hours before launch, underwent a 97 m rollout test to mimic
pre-launch at Europe’s Spaceport. When fully equipped,
the steel structure will weigh 8200 tonnes – more than a
thousand tonnes heavier than France’s Eiffel Tower.

58 59
 → BEYOND: THE SCIENCE,
THE ASTRONAUT,
THE TEAM
Beyond takes ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano to
the Space Station for the second time. But what
about the people who helped him get there and
the science that will take place in space?
E
SA astronaut Luca Parmitano returned to the Inter-
national Space Station on the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft
on 20 July. Alongside him were Russian cosmonaut
Alexander Skvortsov and US astronaut Andrew
Morgan. This was the beginning of Beyond, Luca’s second
spaceflight, which spans Expeditions 60 and 61.
Science on the Space Station
During Beyond, more than 250 experiments are being carried
out, over 50 of them new. Luca is taking part in diverse
scientific activities that include:
• physiological and neurological tests to enhance our
understanding of the human body and improve medical
science;
• experiments involving biology and radiation to further
scientific understanding of the Universe and our world;
• testing technologies that could shape the way we live and
work on Earth and in space; and
• activities to further our understanding of how humans can
stay healthy during longer space exploration missions.
According to Luca, the physiological experiments are among
those that fascinate him the most. He says: “I’m happy to see
that there is renewed interest in neurovestibular science in
60
orbit. I will take part in experiments that will try to improve
our understanding of how the vestibular system works and
how the proprioception sensors are integrated in the brain
when we’re in an environment that’s completely different to
the one in which we evolved.”
BEYOND EXPERIMENTS
Analog-1: Operating a rover on Earth using the Space Station,
as an enactment of a geological scientific survey on the Moon.
Life Support Rack: A facility to produce oxygen for three
astronauts, and part of the effort towards a closed-loop, life-
support system in space that includes oxygen, food and water.
BioRock: Learning more about the behaviour of microbes and The first spacewalk to
how they can extract minerals from rocks. service the Alpha Magnetic
Spectrometer (AMS) could
Nutriss: Focusing on human physiology by monitoring the not have gone better. Lead
astronaut’s diet and body mass index. spacewalker ESA astronaut
Luca Parmitano is imaged
Acoustic Diagnostics: Testing the astronaut’s hearing for here hitching a ride on
damage that may occur due to microgravity, radiation and the the International Space
constant noise in the Space Station. Station’s 16 m long robotic
arm to kick off the first of
Amyloid Aggregation: Studying neurodegenerative diseases four ventures to service the
and how microgravity affects the formation of proteins in the particle physics detector on
brain that are associated with dementia. 15 November.
61
 spaceflight to the Moon – an important motivating factor
for the Beyond mission.”
As the first European commander of the Space Station
in 2009, Frank knows how Luca might be feeling during
his mission. But he notes that much has changed on the
Station in the past 10 years. “In 2009, we were still in the
construction phase, so there were regular shuttle missions
and many components had not been added yet – such as the
Cupola and the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM).
There weren’t so many opportunities to take beautiful
photos of Earth!” He adds on a more serious note: “Now the
construction phase is complete, there is more focus on the
science. Luca’s research into radiation on the Station and
life support technologies will be a valuable contribution to
further Moon exploration.”
Fitness
On the Space Station, the crew have to work out daily and
have a cycle, a treadmill and a strength machine at their
disposal, all of which are adapted for use in microgravity.
Fortunately, Luca Parmitano is a keen athlete.
According to André Rosenberger, exercise specialist in ESA’s
Space Medicine Team, physical strength and fitness are
needed to perform daily countermeasures on the Space
Station to reduce the negative effects of microgravity on the
human body and maintain muscle tone and bone density.
This also helps with readapting quickly to life on Earth at
the end of the mission. André says: “It’s important for all
crew members to do regular fitness training before their
mission starts, so they have a good lifting technique and are
prepared for their daily workouts on the ISS.”

ESA astronaut Luca

Parmitano works on an
experiment inside the Life
Sciences Glovebox. The
BEYOND MISSION: IN NUMBERS
portable glovebox is a sealed

50+
work environment used for
life science and technology

1st
investigations.

European experiments
supported during Beyond
Italian
201+
to become commander
Spacewalks
250
Neutral Buoyancy Lab, using the hardware they’ll use in orbit. of the ISS
The goal is to repair and improve the thermal control of the scientific
Luca will also perform several extravehicular activities (EVAs, AMS – cooling is important to acquire better images.”
days experiments
or spacewalks) during his mission, including one to repair supported on the ISS
and enhance the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02),
the instrument investigating the origin and structure of the The people behind Beyond
Universe through its search for anti-matter and dark matter.
This work to enhance AMS-02 has been described as ‘one of Luca Parmitano is keen to point out that, although he is
the most complex EVAs ever performed in human spaceflight very much the face of Beyond, he has been supported in
history’ and, according to Luca Anniciello, Increment Training preparing for the mission by experts, trainers and other
Lead at ESA, who has worked closely with Parmitano, it will colleagues at ESA. “The whole team at the European
be the most challenging activity during the Beyond mission. Astronaut Centre worked with me from day one through

Luca Anniciello says: “Luca has been training intensively for
this activity. He carried out several six-hour EVA runs in the
603+
to launch day – and they continue to support me during
the flight and through the post-flight,” says the astronaut.
“Really it’s an incredible machine and I am privileged to work
with such amazing people.” Space meals
Luca Anniciello worked closely with Parmitano during his
preparation for Beyond. His main role was to integrate the The ISS
astronaut’s schedule to arrange time and requirements 109 x 73 m –
for technical and scientific training in coordination with The ISS living
NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA and CSA, including physical training, and working space

3200+
is larger than a six-

155
medical checks and press requests, as well as time for
Luca’s role as commander personal commitments. Luca Anniciello explains: “Most of
bedroom house.
Speed: 28 800

of the Space Station the training is technical. It includes ISS Systems, the Robotic
Arm operation, flying the Soyuz and of course how to million+ Energy needed for launch
from Kazakhstan in a
orbits
around Earth
km/h (30 times
faster than a
jumbo jet)
km travelled
really affirms that ESA is operate the scientific experiments.” Soyuz rocket:
Number of
Flies about 400 km

225
Former Space Station commander and ESA astronaut Frank above Earth
spacewalks planned Orbits the planet

4+
a trusted partner in space De Winne, currently head of ESA’s European Astronaut

tonnes
once every 90
Centre, says: “Luca’s role as commander of the Space minutes – or 16

exploration Station really affirms that ESA is a trusted partner in space

exploration. It also prepares our ESA astronauts for further
of fuel and liquid oxygen
in four boosters
times a day

62 63
 In the last few weeks during preparation for launch, it is
mainly up to each astronaut to incorporate physical training
ESA LONG-DURATION
into their schedule. André points out that maintaining a MISSIONS ON THE ISS
good level of fitness is also important to minimise the risk of
injury during the mission, but adds: “We don’t want to send
bodybuilders up there because this level of strength is not
required to perform astronaut tasks on the Space Station.
2019 BEYOND
However, our main goal is to keep the astronaut healthy
and Luca is a very fit astronaut and very focused, which will Luca Parmitano
make it easy for him to comply with his countermeasure
programme and stay healthy.”

Time for the classics 2018 Alexander Gerst

Luca, who was promoted to colonel in the Italian air force in

July, is fluent in Russian, competes in Ironman triathlons and
also makes time for music (he plays the guitar and the piano
2017 Paolo Nespoli
as an amateur) and literature.

Science fiction is one of his passions. He says: “When I was

a kid I started with the classics, like Jules Verne and Emilio 2016 Thomas Pesquet
Salgari from Italy. And then I moved on to Isaac Asimov and,
later, Arthur C. Clarke and Dan Simmons. More recently I
really enjoyed Ted Chiang’s Stories of Your Life and Others,
which has been adapted into the film Arrival.” 2015 Tim Peake

Luca took some classic Italian dishes with him to space,

including aubergines ‘alla parmigiana’ and tiramisu. He
explains: “It’s really a way to create an environment that is 2014 Samantha Cristoforetti
friendly and fun, to be and eat together, and to celebrate.”
It’s also a sure way to get a very warm welcome from your
crew mates at 400 km above planet Earth.
2014 Alexander Gerst

2013 VOLARE
Luca Parmitano

2011 André Kuipers

2010 Paolo Nespoli

2009 Frank De Winne Luca Parmitano inspecting

the semi-rigid spacesuit
worn by astronauts during
spacewalks during his
training at NASA‘s Johnson
ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano shares a light dinner with his Expedition 60 crewmates
on the International Space Station.
2006 Thomas Reiter Space Center in Houston,
USA, March 2019.
64 65
 This image, by the NASA/ESA

→ SELECTED
Hubble Space Telescope,
shows the intricate, detailed
beauty of Jupiter’s clouds,
when the planet was 644
million km from Earth – its

HIGHLIGHTS
closest distance this year.
The image features the
planet’s Great Red Spot
and a more intense colour
palette in the clouds
swirling in the planet’s
turbulent atmosphere than
seen in previous years.

August to October 2019

Some of our long- The second satellite in the European Data Relay
System (EDRS), EDRS-C, was launched in August.
term programmes This was also a period marked by extraordinary
came to fruition space images. The second data release from ESA’s
Gaia mission produced a view of 150 million
in the second half stars – most of which are red giants in our galaxy.

of 2019, including ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft also captured an

image of the Nirgal Vallis, an ancient river valley
the launch of system that stretches for nearly 700 km across
the martian landscape and was once filled
ESA’s second EDRS with running water. Perhaps most striking are

satellite. the images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space

Telescope, which show Saturn and Jupiter as we
have rarely seen them before. The view of Saturn
is particularly spectacular, while the image of
Jupiter shows its clouds and famous Red Spot.

So as we come to the close of ESA’s busy year

with the Space19+ Ministerial Council in
Seville, we can look forward to a schedule of
launches in the coming year, including Solar
Orbiter, Vega-C and Ariane 6. But first we’re
keenly anticipating the launch of the Cheops
mission before the end of 2019. We spoke to
those who have been involved in bringing ESA’s
first Small-class science mission to reality – read
the article on page 78.
66 67
 → EDRS LAUNCHES

Up and away for the SpaceDataHighway

The second satellite in the European Data
Relay System (EDRS) was launched on
board an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport
in Kourou, French Guiana, on 6 August.
EDRS enables data from other satellites
to reach Earth faster, which can accelerate
responses to emergency situations, while
also opening up opportunities for the
development of new services.

→ REBUILDING AND RECOVERY

Copernicus images help rebuild Palu

ESA and the Asian Development Bank
joined forces to help the Indonesian
government use satellite data to rebuild
Palu, on the island of Sulawesi, which
was devasted by a 7.5 magnitude
earthquake and tsunami in September
2018. Data from Copernicus Sentinel-1
provided a detailed picture of land
deformation, helping the authorities
make informed redevelopment plans.
68 69
→ SHAKEN NOT STIRRED

Konnect passes vibration test

Konnect, a high-throughput
communications satellite, successfully
completed its mechanical test at
→ AURORA AUSTRALIS
the Thales Alenia Space facilities in
Cannes. This demonstrates that it
can withstand the strong shaking
that occurs during launch. ESA, along
with the other project partners Thales
Alenia Space, CNES and Eutelsat, were
pleased with the results. Konnect is
the first Spacebus Neo satellite.
70
Light show over the Antarctic
At the remote Concordia research station in
Antarctica, the ESA-sponsored medical doctor
Nadja Albertsen was inspired by a beautiful
display of Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights.
In her blog she described the ‘green hues’ and
the ‘curtain-like waves in the sky’. Aurora remind
us of our Sun’s activity, which will be monitored
by ESA’s future Lagrange solar warning mission.
71
 → HUBBLE ZOOMS IN ON SATURN

Ringed planet gets a close-up

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope took
this beautiful shot of Saturn as the planet
made its closest approach to Earth this year,
at approximately 1.36 billion km. The view
of its icy ring structure is spectacular.

→ VIEW OF LAKE NATRON

Tanzanian lake from space

The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission
captured this image of Lake Natron in
northern Tanzania. Its saline waters
make it inhospitable for many plants and
animals but the surrounding salt water
marshes are home to flamingos. In fact,
the lake has the highest concentrations
of lesser and greater flamingos in East
Africa, where they feed on spirulina.
72 73

→ NIRGAL VALLIS
Dried up martian river
This colour-coded topographic view, taken by Mars
Express, shows a dried-up river valley on Mars
named Nirgal Vallis. Lower parts of the surface are
shown in blues and purples, while higher altitude
regions show up in whites, yellows, and reds. This
view is based on a digital terrain model of the
region, from which the topography of the landscape
can be derived.
74
→ ESA’S TEST FACILITIES
Plane nose assessed in Hertz chamber
The 2 m diameter nose of an Airbus A340 aircraft
is shown here in ESA’s Hertz chamber at ESTEC
in the Netherlands, undergoing radio-frequency
testing. Also known as a ‘radome’, this aircraft
component protects forward-looking weather radar
and other equipment, which can be damaged by
lightning, bird strike or hail erosion. ESA’s facilities
can test the radome’s efficiency.
75
→ THE GALACTIC BAR

This is what 150 million stars look like

This colour chart shows the distribution of 150
million stars in the Milky Way, using data from
the second data release of ESA’s Gaia mission,
in combination with infrared and optical surveys,
with orange/yellow hues indicating a greater
density of stars. Most of these stars are red
giants. The distribution is superimposed on an
artist’s impression top view of our galaxy.

→ CHILDREN IMAGINE SPACE

What do exoplanets look like?

What do planets around other stars look like?
Children visiting ESA’s Open Day in the Netherlands
in October were asked to unleash their creativity
to answer this question – which has fascinated
modern astrophysicists since the first exoplanets
were detected in the 1990s. The result is this
selection of colourful and imaginative artwork.
ESA’s Cheops exoplanet mission is scheduled for
December. Read more about Cheops on page 78.

76 77
 → BIG IDEAS IN A
SMALL-CLASS MISSION
Are we alone in the Universe?
ESA’s Cheops mission will gather data
about known planets orbiting distant stars,
bringing us nearer to an answer.

T
he question of whether we are alone in the
Universe is perhaps one of the most profound that
we can ask ourselves as a civilisation – and one that
has been on the minds of scientists for centuries.
The search for exoplanets – planets outside our own Solar
System – received a massive boost in 1995, when a Jupiter-
The shorter time frame
like planet was discovered orbiting a Sun-like star. This
discovery – for which Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz were
meant strategic planning,
awarded a share of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics – marked
an explosion in the field of exoplanet science.
because any delays to the
Fast-forward to today, when more than 4000 exoplanets
have been found using ground-based telescopes, but
schedule would translate
especially by space missions such as Corot, Kepler and TESS. into cost increases
We are now moving from an era of discovery to one of
characterisation.
The Characterising Exoplanet Satellite, or ‘Cheops’
(pronounced ‘kay-ops’), which is due to launch by the end of
2019, will take significant steps in this direction. large samples of Earth- to Neptune-sized planets. By
combining these measurements with known masses that
have been measured from the ground, we can determine
Understanding exoplanets the density of the planets, and start to be able to put limits The Cheops spacecraft
on what their internal structures and compositions could underwent a series
of electromagnetic
Cheops will target individual bright stars that are already be. These limits, when combined with key parameters of the compatibility testing at
known to host exoplanets. It will use the technique of ultra- host stars and orbits, will provide vital clues as to how these ESA‘s Maxwell facility in the
high-precision transit photometry to accurately measure small planets form, migrate and evolve. Netherlands.
78 79
 TIMELINE OF EXOPLANET MISSIONS
Cheops will also be used to identify prime targets for Transit photometry
Corot (CNES) searches for the fingerprints of key molecules by future
Kepler (NASA) Ariel (ESA) facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope and ESO’s
launch 2006 Extremely Large Telescope.
launch 2009 expected launch 2028 By already knowing where and when to point, the Cheops
team will be able to monitor the exoplanet host stars before,
during and after the planet transits. Kate Isaak, ESA Cheops
Project Scientist, says: “We can return to the individual stars
repeatedly around the time of transit, and build up the preci-
sion with which we are able to measure the depths of what
are shallow transits. By combining this with our knowledge
of the host stars, we can get a very accurate and precise
measure of the radius of the exoplanets. When a particular
exoplanet is not transiting, we can observe another that is,
making very efficient use of the telescope time.”

Brightness
TESS (NASA)
launch 2018 Small and agile
Cheops will be launched on a Soyuz-DS23 rocket from
Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. It will be
placed into a dusk-to-dawn Sun-synchronous Earth orbit
at an altitude of 700 km and will orbit the terminator line
between day and night, so that temperature variations are
kept to a minimum and the photometer can be directed
away from the Sun.
It is also the first Small or S-class mission in ESA’s Science Pro-
gramme, and is implemented in cooperation with the Swiss
Space Office. Smaller missions have recently been introduced
to allow Member State agencies to play a greater role, while
also achieving important scientific goals on a reduced budget
Plato (ESA) and within a shorter time frame. The mission’s cost to ESA is
€50 million, a fraction of a typical larger mission cost.
expected launch 2026 The mission was developed and implemented in five years.
Nicola Rando, ESA’s Cheops Project Manager, explains some
of the implications of working on an S-class mission: “The
Extremely Large Telescope shorter timeframe meant strategic planning, because any
Cheops (ESA – joint mission) delays to the schedule would inevitably translate into cost
(ELT) (ESA) increases. We also had to manage numerous interfaces, with
launch 2019 first light (operational) 2025 Member State agencies and other third parties contributing
to the satellite development and
to the ground segment.”
Time
Transit photometry measures the minute reduction of light emitted by a star
as an orbiting planet passes between it and the photometer
Cheops will carry just one instrument: a high-precision
telescope called a photometer, which requires a high degree
of stability. Nicola explains: “The high-precision photometer
will continuously measure light emitted by a host star for
up to two days before the exoplanet transits in front of the
star. When that happens, the exoplanet will obscure some
of the host star’s light and the photometer will measure
this difference. Finally, the information on the change of
luminosity will allow the calculation of data about the mass,
size and formation of the planet.”
The Cheops consortium consists of 11 Member States led
by Switzerland and was responsible for developing the
photometer. Chris Broeg, from the University of Bern and
Project Manager for the Cheops Instrument and Mission
Consortium, explains that the mission’s reduced timeframe
and budget meant there wasn’t scope for developing break-
through technology.

Instead, the instrumentation and subsystem designs have

JWST (NASA) been tested in previous missions. For example, the baffle
design was used on Corot (Convection Rotation and
expected launch 2021
planetary Transits), the CNES-led mission launched in
2006 that searched for exoplanets, while the Sensor
Electronics Module design has some heritage from the
BepiColombo mission.
Chris says: “The real test will come when the instrument is
in orbit. As with any mission, we know what the potential
risks are and everything has been thoroughly tested. We
will be very happy when we see the cover of the instrument
opening and see that the vital parts of the telescope, such as
the mirror, have survived the launch.”
80 81
 mechanical, thermal, electrical and functional interfaces
work with the platform’s features.”

Scientific potential
Receiving the first images
from the satellite will be After launch, the satellite and its instrument will be
operated from the Mission Operations Centre at the
a very special moment for Spanish space agency, the National Institute of Aerospace
Technology (INTA). Based in Torrejon de Ardoz near Madrid,
everyone who has worked the operations will be led by ASE with support from ESA.
Meanwhile, the Science Operations Centre will be at the
on the mission University of Geneva, Switzerland.
According to Eva Vega, responsible for ground segment at
INTA: “We’ll be monitoring Cheops throughout the first
stage of its mission, through launch and into its target orbit
at 700 km above the Earth. This Launch and Early Orbit
Phase is one of the most difficult stages of the mission,
Spacecraft design when many unexpected situations can arise.”

As prime contractor for the Cheops satellite, Airbus Defence
and Space – Space System Madrid (ASE) was responsible for
making the platform, based on the AS-250 platform, which
was designed for a bigger satellite. ASE was able to reduce
the scale to fit in the limited space available on the launcher,
while still providing an exceptionally stable base for the
photometer.
Airbus Project Manager for Cheops, Andrés Borges, says:
“For this mission we made minor adjustments to a standard
Airbus platform, to adjust it for the mission’s requirements.
We worked extensively with the instrument to make the
It is worth noting that no matter how much testing is
done prior to launch, there is no way of creating a test
environment that exactly replicates the harsh conditions of
space. The moment when the first images are sent to Earth
from Cheops will be one of huge excitement and satisfaction
for everyone involved in the mission and in exoplanet
science. “Receiving the first images from the satellite will A mechanical engineer
be a very special moment for everyone who has worked on tightens the interface bolts
the mission,” adds Kate. “And one that we are all collectively connecting the Cheops
payload to the table inside
looking forward to very much. With these processed images, the thermal vacuum
we will be able to demonstrate and confirm the scientific chamber in Bern.
potential of Cheops.”

TIMELINE AND EXPECTATIONS FOR FUTURE RESULTS AND DATA

The science behind

Operational phase and
the mission, the Mission
science operations
initial idea and adopted in Satellite fully Transported from
LEOP (Airbus and INTA) (University of Geneva)
mission concept ESA’s Science integrated Madrid to Kourou,
accepted Programme and tested French Guiana
FIRST 5 DAYS 2/3 MONTHS
OCT 2012 FEB 2014 DEC 2018 SEP 2019 AFTER LAUNCH AFTER LAUNCH

MAY 2012 APRIL 2014 FEB 2019 MID-DEC 2019 FIRST 2/3 3 MONTHS
Critical Design Prime contractor Satellite passed Target launch
MONTHS AFTER LAUNCH
Review selected (Airbus) the Qualification & AFTER LAUNCH First pictures expected
Acceptance Review
The in-orbit commission to be sent back to Earth
phase (Airbus and INTA)

82 83
 Mapping from satellite to disaster zone
43 MOZAMBIQUE CYCLONE DESTRUCTION | YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images
44 LANDSLIDE MAPPING | © CNRS EOST, contains modified Copernicus Sentinel-2 data (2019)
MAP 1 | Pleiades © CNES (2019)
MAP 2 | Sentinel-1 and -2 © Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2019) TerraSAR-X © DLR e. V. 2019
45
MAP 3 | Copernicus Emergency Management Service (© 2019 European Union), [EMSR348] Mafambisse: Delineation Map, Monitoring 3
MAP 4 | Copernicus Emergency Management Service (© 2019 European Union), [EMSR348] Beira: Grading Map
46 AFTERMATH OF CYCLONE IDAI | GUILLEM SARTORIO/Bloomberg via Getty Images

→ IMAGE CREDITS 47
AEOLUS IMAGE | © ECMWF–M. Rennie
SMOS IMAGE | © Ifremer

Highlights 2019: Images are the copyright of ESA unless stated otherwise. May to July 2019
SCIENCE & EXPLORATION | © ESA/ATG medialab (ROVER PICTURE) 48 SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS (FIRST ORION COMPLETE) | © NASA/R. Sinyak
10 SPACE SAFETY & SECURITY | © ESA–ScienceOffice.org 50 OPTICAL COMMUNICATION | © EIAC/D. López
APPLICATIONS | © ESA/ATG medialab 51 SATELLITE OF THE FUTURE | © SSTL
52 TRACKING PERMAFROST FROM SPACE | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2018), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
55 TRAINING FOR SPACE BELOW THE WAVES | © NASA/K. Shreeves
56 IT FOR SPACE MISSIONS | © ESA–ScienceOffice.org
November 2018 to February 2019 57 MELTING A SATELLITE | © ESA/DLR

12 SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS | © ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO 59 SMOKE SEEN FROM SPACE | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2019), processed by ESA

14 HOT TOPIC | © ESA/A. Baker, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

16 COSMIC COLD FRONT | © NASA/CXC/GSFC/S. Walker, ESA/XMM, ROSAT
18 WEATHER WATCHER | © ESA/CNES/ARIANESPACE/OPTIQUE Video du CSG - JM. Guillon
19 HAPPY LANDING! | © NASA/B. Ingalls
Beyond: the science, the astronaut, the team
20 OVER THE MOON | © ESA/CESAR/M. Castillo 61 SPACEWALK | © ESA/NASA
21 SNOWED UNDER | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2019), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO 62 LIFE SCIENCES GLOVEBOX | © ESA/NASA
23 LUNAR DESTINATION | © ESA/Foster + Partners 63 ISS TEAM AND SPACE SELFIE | © ESA/NASA
64 A LIGHT DINNER | © ESA/NASA

Acting now to avoid future impacts

24 HERA AND APEX | © Tomi Kärkkäinen/Reaktor Space Lab August to October 2019
26 IMAGING OF DIDYMOON | © ESA/Science Office
66 SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS | © NASA/ESA
28 FLYEYE PHOTOS | © OHB Italia
68 REBUILDING AND RECOVERY | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2018-19), processed by Planetek Rheticus Service
69 EDRS LAUNCHERS | © 2019 ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Vidéo du CSG – S. Martin
70 SHAKEN NOT STIRRED | © Thales Alenia Space
71 AURORA AUSTRALIS | © ESA/IPEV/PNRA/A. Mancini
February to April 2019
72 VIEW OF LAKE NATRON | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2019), processed by ESA
30 SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS | © The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)
73 HUBBLE ZOOMS IN ON SATURN | © ESA/NASA
32 ROSALIND THE ROVER | © EATG medialab
74 NIRGAL VALLIS | © ESA/DLR/FU Berlin
33 LOVE YOUR PLANET | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by ESA
76 THE GALACTIC BAR | © ESA/Gaia/DPAC
34 VOLCANIC PLUMBING | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2018), processed by ESA 78 CHILDREN IMAGINE SPACE | © ESA/SJM Photography
35 DUST DEVILS ON MARS | © ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

36 THE FUTURE LOOKS BUMPY | © EESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

37 GLOBAL ICE MELT | © contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
38 EXOMARS TGO IN ACTION | © ATG medialab
Big ideas in a Small-class mission
39 NORTHERN LIGHT SHOW | © Ollie Taylor. Used with permission 82-83 SMALL IMAGES | © University of Bern and © ESA
40 POLE POSITION? | © ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO 83 MAIN IMAGE | © University of Bern
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