ESA (European Space Agency) has a wide range of space activities, and for the upcoming years, ESA has planned multiple missions that will address several issues at hand.
Photo: ESA
Space waits for no one. ESA has a leading role in exploring and investigating the wide spectrum of space activities. That’s why ESA continuously launches missions to explore space and develop Europe’s space capabilities to benefit the population of Europe. Below we will take you through the future missions from ESA that will launch during the upcoming years.
The Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS) is a planned constellation of meteorological microsatellites. This mission is aimed at improving the Arctic & global weather forecasts by offering more precise and short-term weather predictions for the Arctic region. This is possible due to a cross-track radiometer that scans and enables the AWS mission to measure atmospheric humidity and temperatures more precisely.
The Biomass mission monitors carbon assessment and unveils the status and dynamics of forestry for a better understanding of the carbon cycle. This allows us to follow the change and distribution of biomass in our earth’s terrain.
The EarthCARE satellite studies the roles that clouds and aerosols play in our climate. More precisely, it explores when they reflect the incident solar radiation into space causing the infrared radiation, emitted from Earth’s surface to trap. This is done to develop models that offer more precise forecasting of our climate- and weather conditions.
Examining the first test of asteroid deflection, Hera will perform a repeatable planetary defense technique. Hera is Europe’s first planetary defender and humanity’s primary exploration of the encounter with a binary asteroid system.
Scouts are a new element in ESA’s agile research missions. Scout missions are developed to deliver innovative science and technology in an agile and quick manner. This way, ESA can prove new concepts by using their smaller satellites that add scientific value to data from already existing satellites. Currently, ESA has two Scout missions in the pipeline, namely CubeMAP (Scout-1) and HydroGNSS (Scout-2).
Space Rider is ESA’s new robotic laboratory. It is Europe’s first reusable space transport system. This mission performs experiments in its cargo bay that allow for technology demonstrations that ultimately benefit research in pharmaceutics, biomedicine, biology, and physical science. At the end of the mission, Space Rider returns home with its payloads whereupon it is refurbished and prepared for another launch.
The Atmospheric Limb Tracker for Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere (ALTIUS) is designed for monitoring the distribution and evolution of stratospheric ozone in the atmosphere. This mission will ultimately support the services of weather forecasting and monitoring long-term trends.
Using innovative technology, ESA’s Earth Explorer mission, Flex, is expected to generate information about the plants of the world. These insights will improve our comprehension of how carbon moves between plants and the atmosphere. It will also provide an outline and understanding of how photosynthesis affects carbon and water cycles.
MetOp-SG is ESA’s series of 6 meteorological satellites that act as the successor to the MetOp series. Each satellite is expected to have a life span of 7.5 years. This mission, which is developed by ESA and EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), is divided into two series with complementary payloads that orbit in pairs – namely, MetOp-SG-A and -B.
Clearspace-1 is the first mission to ever remove a piece of space waste or -debris from orbit. Through highly precise, complex, and proximity operations, Clearspace-1 removes deserted objects from orbit with the purpose of cleaning up space and establishing a new and sustainable commercial sector in space.
Forum is an Earth-observation-mission developed to measure infrared, and thermal radiation that is emitted from Earth and into space. This will provide scientists and climatologists with the data and knowledge they need to improve the forecasts of global warming. Forum measures radiation across the entire far-infrared part of Earth’s electromagnetic spectrum.
Plato is the third medium-class mission in ESA’s Cosmic Vision program and was developed to find and study planets beyond our solar system with a focus on the properties of terrestrial planets near and around the solar-like stars. It is also designed to explore seismic activities in the stars which enables us to specify the characterization of planet-host stars including their age.
This concludes the list of coming ESA missions that will launch during the next three years. ESA is dedicated to exploring the use of space to benefit humanity. Through their space missions, ESA continuously explores the possibilities that space provides, and we can’t wait to keep up with their findings.
Photo: ESA
ESA has high ambitions for the future to increase European autonomy, leadership, and responsibility in space – and we share the same ambitions. Flux produces flawless magnetic components for the space industry. We are extremely proud to be part of this journey – exploring the use of space to profit mankind and the globe in general.
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