Cosmic Vision – Spaceflight Now

Exoplanet telescope selected as ESA’s next space science mission

March 22, 2018 Stephen Clark

A mission to investigate the atmospheres of planets around other stars has been selected by the European Space Agency for launch in the late 2020s, officials announced this week.

Pioneering probe for gravitational wave observatory ends mission

July 19, 2017 Stephen Clark

The European Space Agency’s LISA Pathfinder spacecraft, now sailing around the sun on a trajectory away from Earth, was deactivated Tuesday after a nearly 18-month mission testing previously-untried lasers, vacuum enclosures, exotic gold-platinum cubes and micro-thrusters needed for a trio of gravitational wave observatories set for launch in the 2030s.

ESA reveals candidates for new space science missions

June 4, 2015 Stephen Clark

The European Space Agency revealed plans Thursday to build and launch a joint space weather research satellite with China and announced three finalists for Europe’s next standalone science mission.