New Missions in Space: ESA Explores the Sun and Protects the Earth
The European Space Agency (ESA) currently has many exciting projects underway. Important launches and scientific discoveries are scheduled for the coming years. ESA often works with international partners such as China or Japan to learn more about our solar system and the safety of our planet.
A significant event is the planned launch of the SMILE mission on May 19, 2026. Together with China, ESA will send a satellite into space using a Vega-C rocket. The goal is to better understand the connection between the Sun and the Earth. Just one day later, on May 20, there is another highlight: the "Plato" satellite, which will search for new planets in the future, will be presented to media representatives in a clean room.
The protection of our planet also plays a major role in current research. ESA and the Japanese space agency JAXA recently signed a contract in Berlin. They intend to jointly investigate the asteroid Apophis. This cooperation, part of the "Ramses mission," is designed to help better protect the Earth from potential threats posed by asteroids in the future.
While new missions are being prepared, current projects are already delivering initial results. The satellites of the "Proba-3" mission are creating artificial solar eclipses in space. This has allowed researchers to observe that solar winds are much faster than previously assumed. This new data is very important for analyzing the processes near the Sun more accurately.
However, space travel does not only take place in outer space, but also on Earth. In Cologne, the "SOLIS100" isolation study recently began. Six volunteers with medical backgrounds are living there in isolation for an extended period in a special facility. Researchers are investigating how humans react to the conditions of a long space journey. All these projects demonstrate how diverse and international modern space research is today.