Like many other space enthusiasts around the world, I woke up today in a bittersweet mood as I read the reports about the death of the European Space Agency’s Rosetta comet probe. Its demise was carefully planned and long foretold but was sad all…

Watch the amazing AIM animated video in virtual reality (VR glasses and phone needed)

A new image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft shortly before its controlled impact into the comet’s surface.

A new image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was taken by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft shortly before its controlled impact into the comet’s surface.

Our week through the lens: 26-30 September 2016

Closer and closer: image highlights captured during Rosetta’s descent to the comet’s surface

On the last day of her mission, Rosetta slowly descends onto the comet, but there is one last surprise in store

Watch how the final stages of Rosetta’s descent to the surface of the comet played out at ESA’s mission control

ESA’s historic Rosetta mission has concluded as planned, with the controlled impact onto the comet it had been investigating for more than two years. 

How does Mercury exist? The more we learn, the more confusing this little world appears.

Talk of sending humans to Mars hit a fever pitch this week following SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s big announcement Tuesday.

He outlined an ambitious plan to begin sending cargo missions to Mars by 2018, with the first manned missions leaving by 20…

Earth observation image of the week: a Sentinel-2A image of the Anti-Atlas mountains in Western Algeria

NASA’s Curiosity rover has found evidence that chemistry in the surface material on Mars contributed to the makeup of its atmosphere.

The European Space Agency Rosetta mission will end dramatically Friday, Sept. 30, by touching down on a region of a comet known for active pits that spew dust into space.

The European Space Agency Rosetta mission will end dramatically Friday, Sept. 30, by touching down on a region of a comet known for active pits that spew dust into space.

NASA’s Curiosity rover has found evidence that chemistry in the surface material on Mars contributed to the makeup of its atmosphere.

Replay: Rosetta science experts present the key discoveries made at the comet

Operations image of the week: Clock in ESA’s mission control counts down to Rosetta’s comet impact on Friday

Using ALMA data on a nearby galaxy, researchers find a treasure trove of information on star formation outside our own galaxy.

After a historic mission, the craft will crash into Comet 67P gently and begin its eternal sleep.

Wendover Productions calculates and explains how much it would cost to live on the Moon in nine minutes.

NASA TV and the agency’s website will air the conclusion of ESA’s Rosetta mission early Friday morning, Sept. 30, with NASA commentary, interviews and analysis of the successful mission

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has wrapped up its observations for the Frontier Fields project.

NASA TV and the agency’s website will air the conclusion of ESA’s Rosetta mission early Friday morning, Sept. 30, with NASA commentary, interviews and analysis of the successful mission.

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has wrapped up its observations for the Frontier Fields project.

Once again, the lines between science fiction and science fact blur in this epilogue to the short film, Ambition

Technology image of the week: A simulated black hole appears at the location of Sunday’s ESA Open Day in the Netherlands

The telltale signs of a voracious black hole may be hiding in plain sight.

What’s a Black Moon and what should you expect to see? Not much.

A small drone taught itself to judge distances using only one eye during trials aboard the International Space Station, ESA-backed researchers have reported.

Human spaceflight and robotic exploration image of the week: Testing antibacterial smart materials on the International Space Station

After more than two years at the comet, Rosetta is preparing for her final descent on 30 September

How to follow Rosetta’s descent to the comet surface: times and livestream details

Rosetta is set to complete its historic mission in a controlled descent to the surface of its comet on 30 September, with the end of mission confirmation predicted to be within 20 minutes of 11:20 GMT (13:20 CEST).

The SpaceX and Tesla founder is thinking beyond Earth.

How solar activity could be interfering with exoplanet hunters data

Some massive stars end, not with a bang but a whimper.

Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have imaged what may be water vapor plumes erupting off the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have imaged what may be water vapor plumes erupting off the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Who wouldn’t want to run an experiment in lunar or martian gravity? ESA is offering European researchers the chance to test their theories on aircraft flights that offer 20 seconds of reduced gravity.

ESA is exploring Earth’s immediate surroundings, from low orbit with the International Space Station to the Moon, Mars and beyond

Stunning bird’s eye view of Mawrth Vallis, a remarkable valley that could harbour hints of past life on Mars

Have you ever wondered why we age and grow old?

In the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Brad Pitt springs into being as an elderly man and ages in reverse.

To the bafflement of scientists, the fundamental laws of physics have…

Sorry, no aliens yet

After decades of canceled missions and false starts, NASA is finally headed for Carl Sagan’s dream destination.

Ariane 5’s rocket booster is the largest in Europe. Test firings demonstrate the motor’s capabilities and qualify improvements in design to guarantee Europe’s access to space

Our week through the lens: 19-23 September 2016

Starting on 26 September, Guadalajara in Mexico will host the 67th International Astronautical Congress, the annual global convention that covers all aspects of space activities. 

ESA’s Director General Jan Woerner will join the heads of the Canadian, US, Japanese, Russian, Indian and Mexican space agencies for a plenary session in the afternoon of the first day at the Guadalajara Hall 4,5,6,9&10. They will discuss and present the latest advances and breakthroughs in space exploration and share their views on the benefits of international cooperation – this year’s theme is “Space exploration: the past, present and future”.

Brief but powerful outbursts seen from Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko during its most active period last year have been traced back to their origins on the surface.

Join us Friday, 23 September, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features Kazakhstan’s Alakol Lake

Operations image of the week: A drone’s view of our deep-space dish in Spain

Technology image of the week: A vintage view of a pivotal element of ESA’s test centre in the Netherlands under construction

UV-driven reactions on Saturn’s largest moon parallel the ones that created the hole in Earth’s ozone layer.

Astrophysicists describe the inner structure of a Lyman-Alpha blob

Rosetta’s camera captured images of the comet released earlier this week

JPL issues a request for proposal for design, development and build of the robotic spacecraft to capture an asteroid boulder for the Asteroid Redirect Mission.

The appearance of a mysterious ice cloud suggests that a different process than previously thought could be forming clouds on Saturn’s moon Titan.

The appearance of a mysterious ice cloud suggests that a different process than previously thought could be forming clouds on Saturn’s moon Titan.

JPL issues a request for proposal for design, development and build of the robotic spacecraft to capture an asteroid boulder for the Asteroid Redirect Mission.

Human spaceflight and robotic exploration image of the week: Recreating a martian dust storm

Computer simulations reveal the factors that play into rings around the centaurs

Mixed-reality technology designed by JPL and Microsoft “transports” the public to the Red Planet.

Mixed-reality technology designed by JPL and Microsoft “transports” the public to the Red Planet.

Space Science Image of the Week: With hydrocarbon seas and methane-flooded canyons, Titan’s landforms show striking similarities to their water-filled Earth counterparts

Glaciers flow in Pluto’s heart

Why celestial navigation is important in the age of GPS technology

Our week through the lens: 12-16 September 2016

ESA’s next astronaut mission will be launched in November

Replays of the two-day event exploring the benefits of human spaceflight for our world

Follow the presentation of projects from this year’s Space App Camp via live webstream at 08:30–12:30 CEST on 19 September, with a special presentation from astronaut Luca Parmitano

ESA is now working with satellite operator Avanti Communications to bring a swathe of new affordable Internet services to more people across sub-Saharan Africa through the Hylas-4 telecom satellite, due for launch next year.

Watch an ESA Hangout on 19 September at 12:00 GMT / 14:00 CEST with mission experts ahead of Rosetta’s grand #CometLanding finale

Earth observation image of the week: China’s Poyang Lake in radar vision

Human spaceflight and robotic exploration image of the week: astronauts and instructors holding meteorites at ESA’s planetary geology course Pangaea

Arianespace launched a Vega rocket on a complex mission early this morning that demonstrated the flexibility of its upper stage and multisatellite carrier.

Supermassive black holes, with their immense gravitational pull, are notoriously good at clearing out their immediate surroundings by eating nearby objects.

After more than 12 years studying Saturn, its rings and moons, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has entered the final year of its epic voyage.

Lakes and snowmelt-fed streams on Mars formed much later than previously thought possible, according to new findings using data primarily from a NASA orbiter.

Supermassive black holes, with their immense gravitational pull, are notoriously good at clearing out their immediate surroundings by eating nearby objects.

After more than 12 years studying Saturn, its rings and moons, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has entered the final year of its epic voyage.

Join us Friday, 16 September, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features Poyang Lake in China – home to the finless porpoise

Operations image of the week: Checking on satellite health at the weekend and after-hours from the kitchen

Later reionization fingers first stars as the culprit

Technology image of the week: A complex cryogenic structure set up in advance of testing Europe’s next weather satellite

Media briefing replay: Gaia scientists present stellar catalogues obtained during the first year of ESA’s star surveyor

JPL and the National Cancer Institute renewed a partnership to extend development of data science that originated in space exploration and now supports cancer discoveries.

JPL and the National Cancer Institute renewed a partnership to extend development of data science that originated in space exploration and now supports cancer discoveries.

Watch the replay videos of the EO Open Science 2016 conference held at ESA’s ESRIN establishment in Italy 12–14 September

The first catalogue of more than a billion stars from ESA’s Gaia satellite was published today – the largest all-sky survey of celestial objects to date.

As Pluto’s atmosphere becomes an aerosol called tholin, Charon is there to catch a good brunt of the planetary “sneeze.”

When an earthquake occurs, it represents the release of years, sometimes decades or centuries, of pent-up stress. Somewhere along the fault line, a section of rock can take the strain no longer and gives way, allowing a tectonic plate to jerk into moti…

A year ago today, a select group of scientists became the first people on the planet to learn that, after a century of theory and experiments, Albert Einstein was right all along.

Researchers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory …

A NASA airborne mission designed to transform our understanding of Earth’s ecologically sensitive coral reefs has arrived in Australia to investigate the Great Barrier Reef.

A NASA airborne mission designed to transform our understanding of Earth’s ecologically sensitive coral reefs has arrived in Australia to investigate the Great Barrier Reef.

Looking for food that could be harvested by astronauts far from Earth, researchers focused on spirulina, which has been harvested for food in South America and Africa for centuries. ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti ate the first food containing spirulina in space and now the knowledge is being applied to a pilot project in Congo as a food supplement.

Preparing for long missions far from Earth, astronauts will need to harvest their own food. ESA’s Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative team, or MELiSSA, is looking at creating a closed ecosystem that continuously recycles waste into food, oxygen and water.

A star in the Stingray Nebula has cycled through heating up and cooling down in our lifetimes.

New evidence shows that the once-planet Theia may have been destroyed in the early impact that formed the moon.

Watch the replays from this two-day event exploring the impact of human spaceflight on our world

Space Science Image of the Week: Explore the sky with this new visualisation using data from ESA’s Hipparcos mission

Gaia’s first star catalogue will be unveiled on Wednesday, 14 September. Watch livestream from 09:30 GMT / 11:30 CEST