Press Releases — 2021

The James Webb Space Telescope lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, at 13:20 CET on 25 December on its exciting mission to unlock the secrets of the Universe.

ESA will provide coverage of the launch activities for the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful space science telescope.Webb is targeted to be launched at 12:20 GMT/13.20 CET on Saturday, 25 December 2021 on an ESA-provided Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.The Webb mission is a partnership of ESA, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Media representatives are invited to follow an online press briefing scheduled a week before the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.

The spacecraft carrying ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and his NASA astronaut colleagues Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron docked to the International Space Station at 00:32 CET today, marking the official start of Matthias’s first mission ‘Cosmic Kiss’.

On Monday 15 November, media representatives are invited to join a press conference in Lanzarote, Spain, about ESA’s Pangaea geological training course.A team of astronauts, engineers and geologists is travelling to one of Europe’s volcanic hot spots to learn how to best explore the Moon and Mars.This edition’s participants are ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen , ESA engineer Robin Eccleston and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins , who is part of the group of NASA astronauts selected to potentially land on the Moon for the Artemis missions, where research on lunar geology will be crucial. Lanzarote’s basaltic lava flows resemble vast plains on the lunar maria and its volcanoes are similar to those in some regions of Mars.Pangaea – named after the ancient supercontinent – prepares astronauts for expeditions to other planets. Trainees acquire skills and knowledge, both in the field and in the classroom, to become efficient planetary explorers.

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet returned to Earth today alongside NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, marking the end of his second six-month International Space Station (ISS) mission known as Alpha.

Media representatives are invited to a virtual Q&A session with German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer on Friday 29 October from 15:00-16:00 (CEST) to learn more about the latest launch preparations and highlights regarding his mission. Matthias is currently in pre-launch quarantine in the USA.

Media interested in covering the James Webb Space Telescope launch on 18 December 2021 are invited to take note of the following opportunities for journalists.

On Wednesday 6 October, media representatives are invited to join a virtual visit to the Airbus cleanroom for the delivery of the European Service Module ESM-2 and to see ESM-3, both key parts of Europe’s contribution to the Artemis missions to the Moon.

Media representatives are invited to join a pre-launch press programme from 4-6 November at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, to see the international James Webb Space Telescope being prepared for launch in December 2021.

NASA has opened media accreditation for the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station. The third crew rotation flight with astronauts on a Crew Dragon spacecraft includes ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer. 

Media representatives are invited to join German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer on Thursday 9 September from 09:00-10:00 CEST for a news conference to learn more about his first mission to space.

The European Robotic Arm (ERA) is on its way to the International Space Station after being launched on a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, at 16:58 CEST today.

Media are invited to a press event on Monday, 5 July 2021, at ESA ESTEC in Noordwijk in anticipation of the launch of ESA’s European Robotic Arm. During this press event, representatives of the media will have the opportunity to meet the experts in the team, ESA astronaut André Kuipers, and Dutch Secretary of State responsible for space exploration Mona Keijzer, to talk about the technology used and the added value for astronauts. Spare parts of ERA will be shown and demonstrated.

Aspiring astronauts from across Europe are awaiting the next step in ESA’s astronaut selection, following the 18 June closure of the Agency’s first application period in 11 years.  

Media are invited to a virtual press event on Wednesday, 23 June 2021, to learn more about applications to ESA’s astronaut selection. Vacancies for the positions of astronaut and astronaut (with a physical disability) will close on 18 June 2021, after a two-and-a-half-month-long application period.

EnVision will be ESA’s next Venus orbiter, providing a holistic view of the planet from its inner core to upper atmosphere to determine how and why Venus and Earth evolved so differently.

Media representatives are invited to follow an online press briefing about the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope mission, that is set to launch in autumn 2021.

Media representatives are invited to a press event with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet to learn more about his arrival at the International Space Station and the start of his second mission.

Today at 11:08 (CEST) the Crew Dragon spacecraft with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide docked with the International Space Station’s Node-2 Harmony module, marking the start of ESA’s six-month mission Alpha.

Media representatives are invited to a virtual Q&A session with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet a few days before his launch, to learn more about his second International Space Station mission.

Applications are now open for the ESA’s 2021 astronaut selection and qualified candidates of all genders are encouraged to apply.

Media representatives are invited to a virtual press event with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet on Tuesday 16 March from 10:30–11:30 GMT (11:30–12:30 CET) to learn more about his second International Space Station mission.

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti has been assigned a second space mission and will fly to the International Space Station in spring 2022.

Media representatives are invited to a virtual press event at 10:00 GMT (11:00 CET) on Wednesday, 3 March, to learn more about the next spaceflight of Italian ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.

For the first time in over a decade, ESA is looking for new European astronauts to join humankind’s greatest adventure, a journey of discovery for the benefit of our planet.

For the first time in 11 years, ESA is looking for new astronauts. These recruits will work alongside ESA’s existing astronauts as Europe enters a new era of space exploration.

We’re inviting media to virtually join a visit at the Airbus cleanroom to see the European Service Modules ESM-2 and ESM-3, parts of Europe’s contribution to the Artemis missions to the Moon. This event is scheduled for Tuesday, 2 February, with opportunity to ask questions with ESA Director General Jan Wörner, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, and Andreas Hammer from Airbus.