2020 has been a productive year for ESA,
despite the challenges of a global pandemic.
The much-anticipated Solar Orbiter was launched in February,
and its ten instruments were tested in situ for the first time.
With unrivalled protection against heat and light,
it can get closer to the Sun than any previous spacecraft.
Its observations of solar activity have already exceeded all expectations.
The beginning of the year also saw the launch of Eutelsat Konnect.
Built by Thales Alenia Space as an ESA Partnership Project,
this high-throughput satellite will increase broadband coverage,
bridging the digital divide between Africa and Europe.
After grounding due to a failure in July,
ESA’s Vega launcher returned in September
with the first deployment of SSMS
a new modular dispenser,
designed to provide affordable launch opportunities for multiple small satellites.
Amongst the 53 satellites onboard was ESAIL,
a high-performance instrument for tracking ships worldwide.
Also onboard was PhiSat,
ESA’s first demonstration of how artificial intelligence can be used
to enhance Earth Observation technology.
Meanwhile development continued on the new Vega-C launcher,
which will be able to return hardware to Earth
using the integrated Space Rider re-entry vehicle.
Work also continued on Ariane-6,
which will be available in both 2 and 4 booster configurations.
ESA’s Earth Observation capabilities were showcased throughout 2020,
with Sentinel-6 launched in November.
Using the latest radar altimetry technology,
this will continue a four-decade programme of sea level measurements
essential to help mitigate the effects of climate change
and protect vulnerable communities.
As the older Sentinel-1 tracked a huge iceberg off the coast of South Georgia,
the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity mission
continued to provide crucial data for agriculture
more than a decade after its launch
ESA responded to the global pandemic
by co-operating with NASA and JAXA on the
COVID-19 Earth Observation Dashboard,
and with the European Commission
on the Rapid Action Coronavirus Earth Observation dashboard.
These use satellite data to monitor the impact and recovery from environmental changes
caused by the Coronavirus lockdown.
Throughout the COVID pandemic
the European Space Operations Centre managed to keep complex operations going.
Despite the challenges of remote working,
it was possible to capture these stunning images of Earth during the April flyby of BepiColombo.
Other Space Science projects included exoplanet hunter Cheops,
which in September revealed one of the hottest planets ever recorded,
WASP-189b.
And on December 3rd
results were released from the Gaia space observatory
showing the most detailed ever catalogue of stars in our Milky Way.
On the human spaceflight front,
2020 saw the return of ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano,
who landed on the Kazakhstan Steppes in February
after a 201-day mission to the ISS.
The next astronaut to fly will be Thomas Pesquet,
who has spent the year preparing for the upcoming Alpha mission
launched by the SpaceX Crew Dragon.
In October, ESA and NASA also signed the historic Memorandum of Understanding
which will see Member States contribute elements to Gateway,
the first human outpost in lunar orbit.
As Europe continues its exploration,
steps are being taken to ensure safety in space.
A contract was signed with Swiss company ClearSpace
to remove orbiting debris,
with ambitious plans to capture a Vega payload adapter in 2025.
ESA also gave German company OHB the green light to start development of Hera,
ESA’s first planetary defence mission to deflect asteroids.
This is complemented by a new Flyeye telescope in Milan, Italy,
also developed by OHB.
2020 has been a challenging time for the world.
ESA has worked hard to overcome setbacks and achieve its goals
leaving us well-placed to pursue a brighter future in space.