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Universe Today • Matthew Williams

ESA's JUICE uses five instruments to probe activity and composition of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

In November 2025 ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) targeted interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with five science instruments, collecting remote‑sensing data on the object’s activity, coma chemistry and dust to characterise its behaviour and composition during the visitor’s inner‑solar‑system passage.

2025-12-21T12:07:40.370229-08:00

CBS News

Blue Origin’s New Shepard completes 16th passenger flight, carries first wheelchair user Michi Benthaus

2025-12-20T08:24:57.734726-08:00

ESA

Ariane 6 lifts two Galileo satellites into orbit, reinforcing Europe’s navigation resilience

2025-12-16T21:52:08.293366-08:00

Space.com

X‑rays from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveal solar‑wind interaction and hidden gases

2025-12-18T07:09:56.656558-08:00

News Timeline

Universe Today

ESA's JUICE uses five instruments to probe activity and composition of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS In November 2025 ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) targeted interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with five science instruments, collecting remote‑sensing data on the object’s activity, coma chemistry and dust to characterise its behaviour and composition during the visitor’s inner‑solar‑system passage.

2025-12-21T12:07:40.370229-08:00

ESA's JUICE uses five instruments to probe activity and composition of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

CBS News

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Blue Origin’s New Shepard completes 16th passenger flight, carries first wheelchair user Michi Benthaus Blue Origin’s New Shepard completed its 16th passenger flight, carrying 33‑year‑old European Space Agency engineer Michaela “Michi” Benthaus — the first wheelchair user to fly on the suborbital tourism vehicle. Benthaus, paralyzed in a mountain‑bike accident seven years ago, described the flight as a long‑held dream realized.

2025-12-20T08:24:57.734726-08:00

Blue Origin’s New Shepard completes 16th passenger flight, carries first wheelchair user Michi Benthaus

Space.com

X‑rays from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveal solar‑wind interaction and hidden gases Two X‑ray space telescopes — ESA's XMM‑Newton and a JAXA instrument — have detected X‑ray emission from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it approaches Earth. The high‑energy glow, extending roughly 250,000 miles, indicates solar‑wind charge‑exchange and reveals otherwise hidden volatile gases in the comet's coma.

2025-12-18T07:09:56.656558-08:00

X‑rays from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveal solar‑wind interaction and hidden gases

Universe Today

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to sweep past Earth on 19 December as global observation campaign intensifies Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to Earth on 19 December, triggering a coordinated observation campaign by NASA, ESA and multiple telescopes and spacecraft. Recent releases of images — including ESA XMM-Newton’s Dec. 3 snapshot from ~283 million km — feed urgent trajectory and composition studies.

2025-12-17T11:47:43.973563-08:00

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to sweep past Earth on 19 December as global observation campaign intensifies

Payload

PLD Space outlines plans for €169m in European Launcher Challenge funds PLD Space has outlined how it will deploy €169m allocated under ESA’s European Launcher Challenge; Raúl Verdú, the company’s head of business development, said the real value lies in extracting ESA knowledge to accelerate development and industrialisation of its launcher programmes.

2025-12-16T22:09:21.600707-08:00

PLD Space outlines plans for €169m in European Launcher Challenge funds

ESA

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Ariane 6 lifts two Galileo satellites into orbit, reinforcing Europe’s navigation resilience On 17 December an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana placed two Galileo navigation satellites into orbit — the mission marked the constellation’s 14th launch and is presented by ESA/Arianespace as a direct boost to Europe’s GNSS capability, resilience and autonomy.

2025-12-16T21:52:08.293366-08:00

Ariane 6 lifts two Galileo satellites into orbit, reinforcing Europe’s navigation resilience

European Spaceflight

ESA member states commit €100m to evolve Ariane 6 ASTRIS kick stage into orbital transfer vehicle ESA member states have committed €100 million to develop the Ariane 6 ASTRIS kick stage into a dedicated orbital transfer vehicle, funding adaptations to enable satellite transfer and increased mission flexibility as Ariane 6 transitions into routine operations.

2025-12-16T21:31:11.047322-08:00

ESA member states commit €100m to evolve Ariane 6 ASTRIS kick stage into orbital transfer vehicle

insidermedia.com

UK's Pulsar Fusion wins ESA backing to advance thruster tech UK-based Pulsar Fusion, a developer of propulsion engines for space exploration, has secured backing from the European Space Agency to advance its thruster technology. The endorsement should accelerate technology maturation and improve the company's prospects for integration into European space programmes.

2025-12-16T11:40:12.078660-08:00

UK's Pulsar Fusion wins ESA backing to advance thruster tech

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ESA News

ESA's JUICE uses five instruments to probe activity and composition of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

Blue Origin’s New Shepard completes 16th passenger flight, carries first wheelchair user Michi Benthaus

Ariane 6 lifts two Galileo satellites into orbit, reinforcing Europe’s navigation resilience

X‑rays from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveal solar‑wind interaction and hidden gases

News Timeline