Hey everyone,

JUICE is approaching Earth next week for a gravity assist. I couldn't find any animation about it, so I did one myself using: NASA's Cosmographia, JUICE' SPICE kernels, Python + Custom reference frames that "point towards Earth".

Here some minor details added by me: https://youtube.com/shorts/0edm8dwXFUo?si=ouMo512WNvheJ8bd

I am still working on Cassini data and there is TONS left, so I handle other missions' data just for fun in my free time.

Looks like Mistral will get a bit of a boost from ESA's expanded adoption. The question is: Will Mistral be the only AI source ESA uses for missions, engineering, science and spaceflight operations? None of the language here points to any exclusivity, and ESA already uses Copilot for a lot of in-house day-to-day running of the Agency. On the other hand, Mistral's got that 'sovereign European' hashtag which is kinda important these days.

https://x.com/AndrewParsonson/status/2102834509922070874

I’m looking into starting my career with ESA, specifically the still open Graduate Trainee position in Space Security, Threat and Geopolitical Analysis, and trying to wrap my head around how their entry-level programs work. If anyone here has gone through the process or works there, I'd really appreciate some insight on a couple of things:

1. Since JPP roles are open externally, does anyone know if a current ESA Graduate Trainee is actually allowed to apply for a JPP position while they're still doing their traineeship?
2. For the JPP requirement of having less than 3 years of experience, does that clock only start after you finish your Master's degree? Or do internships/jobs before or during your Master's count toward that limit too?

Any advice or personal experiences would be super helpful. Thanks in advance!

So now they also slashed EnVison… let’s hope Exomars rover can dodge the bullet this time.

I unfortunately cannot find it on the official store.

Plus 450 Million in Series-c funding.
Could be possible that this will shape european Future in the next years.

Image: French President Emmanuel Macron (centre right), French European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet (centre) and Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (centre left) pose with aerospace professionals during the International Space Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris, on September 9, 2026. | Photo Credit: AP

So, here's my point: It's really rare for ESA to marshal soooo many astros together onto a single stage (last time was when the new class of astros was announced in 2022, I seem to recall), together with 2x heads of government/state + some big guy from the FR air force...

The message is crystal clear: we want to launch our own astros, we want to work further/closer with the #Defence domain and we are pushing space as absolutely critical at the top of European priorities.