ESA

The giant iceberg A-68A that is threatening the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic has split into three pieces and is thinning by one inch per day. If the bergs run aground they could cause considerable environmental damage.

The European Space Agency has selected Thales Alenia Space in the UK to lead a study for the planned mission to "ambush" a passing comet. Called Comet Interceptor, the mission represents a new strategy for investigating comets fresh from the Oort cloud.

ESA has published a colossal data release from the agency’s Gaia observatory, which is currently engaged in a mission to survey 1 billion stars orbiting in the Milky Way. The data has already shed light on the motion of our galaxy and solar system.

Scientists have condensed decades of footage taken of our Sun’s atmosphere into a 47-minute video showcasing solar activity on a grand scale. The video was released to mark the 25th anniversary of the NASA/ESA Solar and Heliospheric observatory.

Phosphorus has been detected on a comet, thus completing the list of life-essential elements found on these cosmic snowballs. The discovery made in data from the Rosetta probe strengthens the idea that life’s ingredients were delivered to Earth by comets.

With the world continuing to warm and sea levels continuing to rise, NASA and the ESA are eyeing the next decade of climate change and its consequences, launching a new satellite to observe the ocean in greater detail from orbit.

ESA has given the go-ahead for its Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (Ariel) mission to progress from the study phase to the implementation phase, with an industrial contractor to build the spacecraft to be chosen in mid-2021.

An independent review board has issued a report saying that NASA is capable of carrying out its Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign that involves a series of missions to collect pristine samples from the Red Planet and return them to Earth.

An ESA initiative is researching new materials for spacesuits and other equipment that are better able to withstand the destructive effects of lunar dust, which is made of razor-sharp and abrasive particles that cling to everything.

Scientists have discovered the second site at which ESA’s ill-fated Philae lander touched down on comet 67P, and in so doing revealed that the ancient ice hidden under the surface of the comet is softer than the froth on a cappuccino.

NASA and ESA have formally entered into a partnership agreement for building NASA's Artemis Gateway deep space outpost. The agreement signed on Tuesday is part of the US effort to attract international partners for the lunar exploration project.

ESA has awarded Airbus a €491 million contract to design and build the Earth Return Orbiter, which will return the first samples collected from the Red Planet by NASA's Perseverance rover to Earth.