ESA outlines 2026 priorities: SMILE launch, BepiColombo Mercury arrival and ESA2040 operational phase
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher outlined 2026 milestones: the SMILE mission launch, designed to provide the first complete view of how Earth responds to solar particle streams and radiation bursts, and BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury after an eight‑year cruise. ESA will also move ESA2040 into operation with a €8.26bn budget.