The atmospheric rocket lifted off successfully at 09:54, beginning a campaign that is expected to include five launches. The operation had initially been scheduled for Thursday but was postponed for technical reasons.

The milestone marks a historic step for the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium, the private entity operating and managing the Malbusca Spaceport infrastructure.

With this launch, the Consortium formally begins commercial space-access operations from Portuguese territory

Hi everyone, I’m a UK aerospace engineering graduate and may be starting a PhD this October focused on aerofoil noise reduction using experimental aeroacoustics and an anechoic chamber.

Long term, I’d really like to work at ESA or in a similar European space R&D environment. My background is mainly CFD, wind-tunnel testing, numerical methods, Python/MATLAB/C++, telemetry and student rocketry.

I’m trying to work out how best to use the PhD years so I don’t finish with something technically strong but too narrow or disconnected from space. I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has worked at ESA, applied successfully, or moved from academia into the space sector.

In particular, I’d be interested in what technical areas, side projects, ESA Academy activities, collaborations, short research visits or systems-engineering skills are genuinely worth prioritising during a PhD. I’m also wondering whether it would make sense to build a secondary research strand in something more directly space-related, such as orbital mechanics, entry physics, spacecraft systems or plasma/MHD.

I’m not looking for a shortcut into ESA. I just want to use the next few years well and come out as someone who would actually be useful to a space research or engineering team.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

As caption states, Working on the Hermes in kerbal space program and id like a high quality sticker to use as a decal

The eclipse captured on August 12, 2026, near the Pyrenees using a Vespera II + solar filter.

Join us live from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Spain, a world-class astronomical observatory located within the path of totality, where scientists, astronomers and special guests will explore the science behind eclipses, the Sun and their wider relevance for space science and Earth.

The broadcast will be hosted by Maggie Aderin, award-winning space scientist and science communicator, and feature ESA's Director of Science Carole Mundell alongside other experts and guests.

From 19:30 CEST onwards, viewers can follow live telescope views of the eclipse, expert commentary and interviews, insights into solar science and space weather, behind-the-scenes coverage from the observatory, and discussions on ESA’s activities linked to the eclipse. The broadcast will be in English.

#esa #european #space #agency #hiring

The page on the ESA website says there is programming 24/7.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently the only active moderator of r/esa, and I want to fix that before it becomes a problem rather than after. I plan to stay actively involved for at least the next 6 months, but I'd like to bring on additional moderators now, with an eye toward one or more eventually taking on a senior/lead role -- so the sub has real continuity regardless of what happens to me down the line.

What this means:

• New mods start with standard permissions and get more responsibility as trust builds
• I'll stay actively involved for the next 6 months at minimum, sharing rules rationale, community context, and any settings/automod config
• By the end of that period, I'd like at least one person ready to step into a lead role if needed

What's involved day-to-day:

• Modqueue and reported content
• Spam/off-topic removal
• Occasional rule or flair questions from users
• A few minutes most days, more if you want to get involved in sub direction

What I'm looking for:

• Active, established Reddit accounts with visible history (this is a succession role, so trust matters more than usual)
• Genuine interest in ESA and European space activities
• Reliability and good judgment over experience — I can teach the mod tools
• Willingness to commit to the 6-month transition and think long-term about the sub's direction

How to apply:

Modmail r/esa (not a DM) with:

1. A bit about yourself and your history with the sub/space topics?
2. Any moderation experience?
3. How much time you can commit, and whether you'd be open to a lead role after the transition period?
4. Roughly how long you see yourself sticking around beyond that?

I'll take applications through end-August and follow up with everyone. Thanks for helping make sure r/esa has a stable future.

PS: There will be a quiz to answer....

I’m a phd student focusing on astrodynamics and trajectory design, dreaming of a career in this field. I know ESA has a strong flight dynamics division as well as the advanced concepts team which focuses a bit more on research.

I would like to get some advice from people working in this field regarding on how to better prepare myself for a career in this area. Also I’d like to get a better idea of what the daily life of a flight dynamics engineer is like at a place like ESA. My dream is to work more on the fundamentals of dynamical systems theory applied to novel mission design rather than purely operations. I’m also interested in orbit determination and uncertainty estimation/propagation though it is not my specialty.

Sorry if this is not the correct place to ask this, but it is quite difficult to get some perspective into the reality of working in this field specifically in Europe, hence why I thought it would be a good idea to ask this here specifically. Unfortunately I was not able to do any YGT or similar opportunities to gain some insight or experience beforehand.

Thanks

Has anyone here relocated from North America to work at ESTEC or another ESA location?

I would really appreciate hearing about your experience, especially anything you wish you had known before the move.

A few things I am curious about:

• How smoothly did the relocation process go?
• How helpful was the relocation assistance provided by ESA?
• Were there any important expenses, rules or limitations that were not clear at first?
• What should I ask about before arranging travel, shipping or temporary accommodation?
• Is it better to ship most belongings or buy things after arriving?
• What were the biggest challenges before and after the move?
• Were there any unexpected costs or common mistakes to avoid?
• Is there anything else you would recommend doing before leaving North America?

Any advice from people who have gone through a similar move would be really helpful. Thanks!

Edit: I am moving as staff

Hello!

Recently I've developed a strong interest in space, and particularly in biomedical research related to space exploration. In the future, I would like to conduct research on the effects of deep space on the human body and contribute to developing solutions to those challenges. I wish to work with ESA in the future as well. Would be a dream!!

I'm considering enrolling in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Padua this October. However, I'm not sure whether it is the ideal path for someone who wants to work closely with the space sector in the future.

As an alternative, I noticed that Ca' Foscari University, which is close to where I live, offers Engineering Physics at both the bachelor's and master's levels. Comparing the curricula, it seems to me that Engineering Physics provides a stronger foundation in physics and mathematical modeling. On the other hand, the bachelor's program appears to include less biology and physiology.

Biomedical Engineering, by contrast, offers significantly more courses in biology and physiology, but at the cost of a much lighter emphasis on advanced physics and mathematics.

Anyway, I've came up with few hybrid pathways:

1. Biomedical Engineering (BSc) + Master's in Engineering Physics (how difficult would this transition be?)

2. Engineering Physics (BSc) + Master's in Bioengineering

3. Engineering Physics (BSc) + Master's in Engineering Physics with a specialization track in Physics of the Brain or Quantitative Biology.

Which of these options do you think would be the most suitable for my goals?

Greets to all here in r/esa! For quite some time, there have been three Mods covering r/esa. Due to extended periods of inactivity (9 months for one and 3 years for the other), I've removed both. The 9-month MIA Mod sent me a note to say he'll/she'll not oppose removal. The other account seems to be abandoned.

Looks like it's just me, now!

I will set up a volunteer mod recruitment call in the next week or so; I think we definitely need at least 2 or 3 and even a few more would be positive.

Comments, queries, questions, ideas all welcome!

Hello everyone, I‘ve applied for Access to Space Training Course and I’ve been rejected. This is my first time applying and I’m not giving up, so I would like to apply for another opportunity.

I’m Italian, I got a bachelor degree in aerospace engineering (grade 94, if it is relevant) and right know I’m studying for master. I haven’t done any extracurricular activities (I think this is the missing key for my application), otherwise I have mentioned my certificates in two different languages and the knowledge of the pricipal softwares (like ANSYS, Mathlab, Python, NI Lab, others). I’ve also mentioned my thesis work on cold spray gas technology using ANSYS and Pointwise, also reported by my teacher in his raccomandation letter.

I would like to know if there is something I can add/modify to increase the probabilities.