This Month at ESA: July 2026

The Artemis II crew visited ESA’s technical center in the Netherlands to meet the team behind Orion’s European Service Module, celebrating the colaboration that powered their trip around the Moon. Meanwhile, ESA’s Hera successfully upgraded it’s software fom 140 milliom km away, in preperation for it’s investigation of Dydimos and Dimorphos later this year.

July also saw FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C head to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana in preperation for their launch this September. Then, the James Webb Space Telescope celebrates four years of sciency with a spectacular new view of the galaxy Centaurus A.

400 km above Earth, Sophie Adenot inaugurated the European Enhanced Exercise Device with rowing, rope-pulling, strength training and more. She also showed us the ISS veggie chamber, and how the space seedlings have been growing. From the cupola, Sophie captured her most impressive footage of Earth’s auroras yet.

Here’s your monthly roundup of everything happening at the European Space Agency.