Missions

The latest news from the spacecraft helping us explore the cosmos, and the historical missions that paved the way.

The European-designed Orion spacecraft (left) will take ESA astronauts to NASA’s Lunar Gateway and beyond. Credit: NASA

The biggest European Space Agency missions of the coming decade

ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station, 25 January 2020. Credit:NASA

What are the biggest dangers on the International Space Station?

NASA's NEXT-C, a next-generation solar electric propulsion system, is scheduled for in-space testing in 2021. Credit: NASA/Rami Daud/Alcyon Technical Services

Electric propulsion: the future of spaceflight?

The European Space Agency's JUICE mission

Radio Astronomy Podcast Europe in space: the next decade

Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth. Credit: ASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

New Horizons flyby reveals critical clues about planetary formation

A Soyuz rocket lifts off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazahkstan, 18 October 2003. Credit: ESA-S. Corvaja 2003

The history of the Soyuz rocket

The NEID instrument, mounted on the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Credit: NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory/KPNO/NSF/AURA

Interview How NASA-funded NEID instrument will weigh exoplanets

Tim Peake is currently the only Briton to have flown into space as an ESA astronaut. Here he is pictured during a 4 hour 43 minute spacewalk to replace a failed power regulator and install cabling on the International Space Station. Credit: ESA/NASA

How will Brexit affect Britain’s role in the European Space Agency?

Buzz Aldrin speaking at the Humans to Mars Summit, 22 April 2014 at George Washington University in Washington DC. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Moving to Mars: Buzz Aldrin’s vision of Martian exploration

The first journey to Mars could be the first step towards Martian tourism. But could the human body survive the trip? Credit: Михаил Руденко / Getty Images

How will humans survive the journey to Mars?

An artist's depiction of the Juno spacecraft in orbit above Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The Juno mission at Jupiter: a planetary scientist’s perspective

An artist's impression of Venus Express in orbit at Venus. Credit: ESA–C. Carreau

What did the Venus Express mission discover at Venus?

Lift off! Credit: Matt Crookes

Go for launch: attending a rocket lift-off at Kennedy Space Center

Buzz Aldrin sporting a t-shirt promoting exploration of Mars, 12 November 2015 in Geneva. Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

Buzz Aldrin at 90: an interview with the Apollo 11 astronaut

Friends stargazing. Credit: EvgeniyShkolenko / Getty

Radio Astronomy Podcast Biggest stories of 2019 and top tips for stargazing beginners