🎂 Please join us in wishing a very happy birthday to @esa astronaut @Soph_astro, currently on board the International @Space_Station for the #εpsilon mission. 🔗esa.int/epsilon 🎞️ flickr.com/photos/soph_astro… 📷 ESA/NASA – H. Arase Vargas

Day 142, orbit 2197 — Sunday morning science with Sophie, episode 11: the importance of onboard ventilation Fun fact: there are extra fans around the exercise areas 🏋🚴🏃, because that’s where our breathing is at its heaviest! 🎥 @esa / @NASA #εpsilon • @Space_Station • @esaspaceflight • @NASAJohnson

Day 140, orbit 2171 — Remember the video I published a few weeks ago with the intriguing red and white hoop? (🛟 Look for it if you don’t remember!) We’re entering a new high beta angle period (=above 60° ) today, which will peak at 74° on 8 July. From 5 to 10 July, there will be only one night pass lasting about of 3½ minutes instead of the usual 16 night passes of roughly 45 minutes over a 24-hour period. Why does that happens? As Earth 🌍 goes around the Sun, the direction of sunlight slowly changes with respect to the ISS, which travels around Earth in a fixed orbital plane. And about four times each year, the sunlight shines almost perpendicularly to the ISS orbital plane instead of from the side. This means that Earth’s shadow no longer crosses the ISS orbit, and that the Sun ☀ never sets from the astronauts’ point of view. On the operational side, the ground teams will once again keep a close eye on temperatures 🌡 to make sure nothing overheats under the constant sunlight… The outside of the ISS routinely experiences extreme temperatures, but they usually alternate between about 250°F ( 121°C) in sunlight and about -250°F (−157°C) in darkness. It will also fall to the power analyst officers to carefully manage the Station's power resources. The solar arrays continuously track the Sun, but during high beta periods, some of the arrays shadow others, which can in turn reduce the amount of power available. And we really don't want to have to power down 🔌 any science experiment on board! Check out the video for visual explanation! 🙏🫶 thank you to J-A from NASA for explaining all of this to me! You’re awesome! 📸 @esa / @NASA – S. Adenot #εpsilon • @esaspaceflight • @Space_Station • @NASAJohnson

👩‍🚀 Every mission has two crews. One is aboard the @Space_Station. The other is spread across Europe, monitoring systems, coordinating science and supporting activities from the ground. Discover the teams supporting @esa astronaut @Soph_astro's #εpsilon mission from Earth 👇 esa.int/Science_Exploration/…

In June, NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson and astronaut candidate Ben Bailey joined astronauts from ESA and JAXA for the Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behavior and performance Skills, or CAVES. The explorers worked as a team through ESA’s 4-day expedition, experiencing the physical and psychological extremes also often experienced in spaceflight. Photos: ESA/V. Crobu

When it comes to the future of human exploration, 3D printers hold the key to crew autonomy in areas ranging from maintenance to medicine. Delivered by ESA in 2024, the first metal 3D printer in space has just produced its fifth sample, retrieved by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot during the #εpsilon mission. 🔗 esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Image…

Day 139, orbit 2155 — After the pictures (available in HD on my Flickr account), I'm so happy to finally share the timelapse of the most spectacular aurora of the εpsilon mission so far! 🤩 Watching this glowing green ribbon shimmer and dance, it's easy to lose yourself completely in the magic of the moment. Turn the sound on for the full experience – the music was carefully chosen to bring you as close as possible to what I felt watching this from space 💚. 🎥 @esa / @NASA #εpsilon • @esaspaceflight •  @Space_Station • @NASAJohnson •

👩‍🚀 @ESAastro_Carmen will join the ESA Teach with Space Online Conference! 🎉 ✨ Carmen will share her experience as a Member of the ESA Astronaut Reserve and during astronaut training, including how this shapes her daily life and what it means to prepare and wait for future long-duration missions to the ISS and beyond. 🛰️ 👩‍⚕️️ Selected as a Member of the ESA Astronaut Reserve in 2022, Carmen’s journey, from medicine to Antarctica and astronaut training, offers a powerful way to explore space science, careers, and life in extreme environments with your students. 🐧🚀 🎤 During the session, teachers and educators will have the chance to ask their own questions live. 👩‍🏫 Find out how to apply for the ESA Teach with Space Online Conference: 🔗 esa.int/Education/Teachers_C…

The future of space exploration was at the core of our meeting with @astro_luca and @adolfo_urso With @esa at the heart of #Artemis, I’m proud that @astro_luca is the European astronaut assigned to #Artemis III The next giant leap will have an even stronger European heartbeat.

✅ CAVES training completed. Astronauts emerge from the space under: esa.int/Science_Exploration/…

Diaries from the cave. Five astronauts, four days, three space agencies. @esa @ESA_CAVES @ESA_Italia @NASAJohnson @NASAJohnson @JAXA_en @Astro_Rosemary @iamfivetoes @astro_benbailey @AstroAyu

Artemis III crew announcement, a record-breaking Ariane 6, major science updates and more. Catch up on our main stories in June 2026. 👀

Day 136, orbit 2110 — 🚨 EVA in preparation, yayyyy! @Astro_ChrisW and @Astro_Jessica will spacewalk together for the second time tomorrow, June 30, to replace a malfunctioning joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm 🦾. EVAs require a lot of preparation: getting the spacesuits ready, charging and replacing batteries, inspecting tethers, organizing the equipment they will carry into space, servicing the jet packs… Last week I assisted Chris with what we call a suit fit check. From one EVA to the next, small physiological changes can modifiy how the suit fits and feels – and considering how demanding EVA work is, it’s crucial to adjust it perfectly to feel as comfortable as possible inside the suit! Since our first EVA training in the NBL, each of us has been assigned to a suit engineer who knows us well and helps customise the space suit 🧑‍🚀 until it feels right, from toes to fingertips. They always have handy solutions for any issue we might encounter, such as tightness here or a pressure point there. The suit was powered on and pressurised – no leaks – and we successfully checked the biosensors, as well as the communication and life support systems! 👌 As we often say in spaceflight, nothing is certain until it’s behind us, but for now, we’re ready! I’ll have the honor to lead the intravehicular (IV) ops onboard the ISS until both Chris and Jessica are in the airlock, ready to open the hatch to go for a spacewalk in outer space! 📸@ESA /@NASA #εpsilon • @esaspaceflight • @Space_Station • @NASAJohnson • @cnes

🎧 Behind every astronaut in space, there’s a team on the ground. At @esa’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC), the ECOS team works across medicine, training and operations to run experiments on the @Space_Station. Hear how they support @Soph_astro on her #Epsilon mission on the latest #ESAExplores 👩‍🚀🚀 🔊 pod.link/1463873320 📺 esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Video…

Celebrating a new chapter for Greece in space. Thanks @PrimeministerGR & @papastergiougr for your ambition and support. You show how investing in space delivers for your citizens. Wishing @Astrovenator as the first Greek entering astronaut @esa training program every success.

Cave training lab. 👩‍🚀 @esa's CAVES mission gets real today: four days of underground exploration for our five trainees. Make your own path, build your team, explore safely. esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Image…

🪢 Learn the ropes. 🧗‍♀️ Rope climbing is one of the key skills @ESA_CAVES trainees must master before the real caving expedition begins. 👩‍🚀 Much like during a spacewalk, they learn to handle their tethers, staying securely attached at all times.

On this day one year ago, @astro_slawosz began his journey to the International @Space_Station for the #Ignis mission 🧑‍🚀🇵🇱 🚀 From training to launch and life in orbit, relive the journey by revisiting some of the most memorable moments. ⬇️ Download the Ignis book here. esa.int/Science_Exploration/… @esa @Axiom_Space @MRiTGOVPL @POLSA_GOV_PL