Last night a crucial step in the European Space Agency’s eclipse-making Proba-3 mission was completed: the two spacecraft, flying jointly since launch, have successfully separated.

Launched on 19 December 2013, Gaia’s fuel tank is now approaching empty – it uses about a dozen grams of cold gas per day to keep it spinning with pinpoint precision. But this is far from the end of the mission.

The journey of #Gaia from @esa has not only changed our understanding of the Milky Way, but also transformed those of us who worked on this extraordinary mission. It’s been an adventure that made us question who we are and what we can achieve together. 🌌✨ #GaiaMission #SpaceExploration
@esascience

A post for my @Vivaldi blog

https://mcastel.vivaldi.net/2025/01/eleven-years-in-space/

500 kg, 2.5 meter #object from #space crashes into Mukuku village in Makueni county, #Kenya -

It is claimed its sound could be heard from 200 km away.

Current identification says it is a #separation #ring from a #rocket

(and it does in fact resemble one) -

any experts here who recognize the make?

@space @planet4589
@esa
@nasa (more links in first comment)

https://nation.africa/kenya/news/object-that-fell-from-the-skies-identified-as-separation-ring-from-a-rocket-4875322

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/28751760

European Space Agency's official web shop was hacked as it started to load a piece of JavaScript code that generates a fake Stripe payment page at checkout.

Welcome everyone! Time for the return to flight of Vega-C, following the Zefiro 40 upper stage failure on the previous launch two years ago.

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-12-05 21:20 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-12-05 18:50 (GFT) | | Launch site | ELV, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France | | Launch vehicle | Vega C | | Payloads | Sentinel-1C | | Payload mass | 2,300.0 kg | | Mission success criteria | Successful launch and deployment into Sun-Synchronous Orbit |

Livestreams

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | Arianespace (English) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt3kWdS9EJo | | Arianespace (Français) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XVo-c9E9LQ | | Arianespace (Italiana) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9iZgcvBq3o | | ESA | https://www.youtube.com/@EuropeanSpaceAgency/streams | | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBwUVT4NpU0 |

Stats

☑️ 1st Vega-C mission of 2024, 4th mission overall

☑️ 2nd Vega mission of 2024, 25th mission overall

☑️ 2nd Arianespace mission of 2024 (not counting Ariane 6 demo), 299th mission overall

Payload info

NextSpaceflight

Sentinel-1C will provide all-weather, day, and night radar imaging for land and ocean services.

Originally intended to launch on the Russian Soyuz launch vehicle, due to geopolitical factors this is no longer an option. ESA instead opted to launch aboard Vega-C.

ESA

The launch will be the return to flight for Vega-C, Europe’s lightweight, high-performance rocket – further securing Europe’s autonomy in space after the successful launch of Ariane 6 last summer.

Once in orbit, Sentinel-1C will extend the Sentinel-1 mission’s legacy, delivering radar imagery to monitor Earth’s changing environment to support a diverse range of applications and scientific research.

Please feel free to post updates and questions in the comments!