Explore

@gjallar.metalhead.club.ap.brid.gy Oct 2, 2026, 3:58 PM

Schöner Familienausflug mit @onkelmarkus zum Ferienbeginn.
#ESA #esaopendays #esadarmstadt #darmstadt #esoc

Foto: Ausweis ESA Open Day auf Holztisch

@operations.esa.int Oct 2, 2026, 12:17 PM

Today is the day – @esa.int’s #ESOC in Darmstadt is opening its doors! 🚀🎉

The site is currently busy welcoming around 2,000 visitors for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the place #WhereMissionsComeAlive, filled with fun for every space enthusiast.

📷ESA

@tudsat.bsky.social Oct 2, 2026, 9:16 AM

Come visit us at the @esa.int ESOC Open Day #esa #esoc

@de.esa.int Sep 25, 2026, 10:24 AM

LEOP erfolgreich abgeschlossen für den ESA-Satelliten FLEX. 💪🛰️ Seit dem Start von #FLEX gemeinsam mit #Copernicus #Sentinel3C am 15.09 haben die Teams am #ESOC rund um die Uhr daran gearbeitet, die Start- & frühe Operationsphase des Satelliten erfolgreich abzuschließen.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch! 👏

@manuelinspace.nrw.social.ap.brid.gy Sep 20, 2026, 4:51 PM

#ESA / #ESOC is about to initiate the breaking manoeuvers of the #heramission to arrive at asteroid #Didymos in November. Stay tuned ... #DLR

@operations.esa.int Sep 18, 2026, 2:03 PM

LEOP complete for @esa.int’s FLEX 💪 🛰️

Since #FLEX launched alongside #Copernicus #Sentinel-3C on 15 September, teams at #ESOC have been working around the clock to complete the spacecraft’s launch and early orbit phase (LEOP).

Congratulations to all the FLEX teams and partners! 👏

FLEX mission team members Andrea Ferrari, Gerome Fastrez, Vladimir Zelenevskiy, and Isabel Dauvin stand in the Main Control Room at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) during the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) of FLEX.

Large wall-mounted displays show mission data and spacecraft imagery, while the illuminated ESA and ESOC logos and electronic status boards are visible beneath the centre’s distinctive honeycomb-patterned ceiling.

Mario Benincasa, PDGS Instrument Engineer at ESA, Aiv Engineer at ESA Francesco Sirchia, Marta De Laurentis, PDGS Subsystem Engineer at ESA, Massimo Romanazzo, Head of ESA & Third Party Missions Ground Segment Section, Alessandra Rech, ESA’s FLEX PDGS Ground Segment Manager, and Timon Hummel, ESA FLEX Mission Manager, look into the Main Control Room at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) during the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) of FLEX.

The team members stand behind a glass wall, observing spacecraft operations displays and monitoring screens. Reflections of data screens and consoles overlay the scene.

ESA’s Flight Operations Director for FLEX, Elia Maestroni, and ESA’s Head of Earth Observation and Resilience Missions Division, Jose Morales Santiago in the Main Control Room at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) during the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) of FLEX.

Both individuals are wearing headsets sit at consoles in a control room, monitoring spacecraft operations. A sign labelled “FOD – Flight Operations Director” is visible in the foreground, while computer displays, mission data screens, and other team members can be seen through the glass-walled operations area in the background.

ESA Spacecraft Operations Engineers Francis Gneba and Anne Hartmann in the Main Control Room at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) during the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) of FLEX.

Both stand behind the “ANALYST” console monitoring spacecraft operations. Reflections of screens and control-room lighting appear in the glass partition separating the operations area.

@de.esa.int Sep 18, 2026, 12:12 PM

Nach 34 intensiven Stunden hat das Team im #ESOC den LEOP für #Copernicus #Sentinel-3C erfolgreich abgeschlossen, nachdem der Satellit am 15. September gemeinsam mit #FLEX gestartet war.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch an alle, die diesen Meilenstein möglich gemacht haben. 👏

📷ESA/J.Mai

@operations.esa.int Sep 17, 2026, 1:01 PM

After 34 intense hours, the team at @esa.int’s #ESOC completed the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) for #Copernicus #Sentinel-3C, following its launch alongside #FLEX on 15 September.

Congratulations to everyone who made this milestone possible. 👏

📷ESA/J.Mai

Close-up of a Sentinel‑3 mission sticker and FLEX mission sticker on a water bottle beside a small satellite model on a desk in a mission operations room at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) during the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) for Copernicus Sentinel-3C.

In the background, Franco Marchese, ESA Flight Operations Director for the Sentinel-3C LEOP, is wearing a headset works at a computer workstation, with screens and control-room equipment visible out of focus.

Two Ground Operations Managers, Pablo Asenjo Garcia and Ruddy-Herard Chatim, sit at a workstation at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) during the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) for Copernicus Sentinel-3C.

The workstation features multiple monitors displaying spacecraft operations data and communication schedules. Laptops, consoles, and control-room equipment are arranged across the desk, while additional screens and workstations fill the background of the mission operations room.

Federico Ferre, Data Handling Engineer at ESA, sits at a workstation at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) during the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) for Copernicus Sentinel-3C.

Federico is wearing a headset works at a multi-screen workstation, monitoring spacecraft operations data, schedules, and system status displays. Printed procedures, a laptop, and several monitors are arranged across the desk, while additional operators and wall-mounted displays are visible in the background of the mission operations room.

@operations.esa.int Sep 15, 2026, 3:59 AM

👩‍💻 👨‍💻 🧑‍💻 The teams at @esa.int’s #ESOC mission control will now spend around 70 hours guiding both #FLEX and #Copernicus #Sentinel-3C through their first days in orbit. 🛰️🛰️

For now, that’s it from us on this exciting dual launch! Congrats to all the teams involved! 🙌

📷 ESA

Wide view of the Main Control Room at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), with members of the FLEX mission control team monitoring multiple computer displays. Large wall-mounted screens show mission data and status information, while electronic boards listing spacecraft and launch details line the room beneath the distinctive honeycomb-patterned ceiling. The illuminated ESA and ESOC logos are visible at the front of the operations room.

@operations.esa.int Sep 15, 2026, 3:21 AM

We hear you! @esa.int’s #FLEX spacecraft has phoned home. 📞

At 5:22 CEST, teams at #ESOC mission control acquired the first signal from the spacecraft via KSAT’s Svalbard station. 📡

We now have signal from both spacecraft in this unique dual launch. 🛰️🛰️

📷 ESA/ATG medialab

@operations.esa.int Sep 15, 2026, 2:33 AM

Hello #Copernicus #Sentinel-3C – we hear you loud and clear!

KSAT‘s Troll ground station in Antarctica has acquired the satellite's first signal from space. 📡

Telemetry is now flowing into @esa.int’s #ESOC mission control in Germany. 🛰️

📷 ESA/ATG medialab

@operations.esa.int Sep 15, 2026, 1:29 AM

We have lift-off! 🚀

#Copernicus #Sentinel- 3C’s first signals are scheduled to arrive at #ESOC mission control via a ground antenna at KSAT’s Troll ground station in Antarctica in about 60 minutes.

After that, we expect to hear from @esa.int’s #FLEX. 💪

@operations.esa.int Sep 15, 2026, 12:24 AM

📣 Go/no-go Roll Call complete! All stations are reporting green.

Both mission teams at ESA's #ESOC have given their go for the launch of @esa.int’s #FLEX and #Copernicus #Sentinel-3C in appx. 60 minutes.

📷 ESA

Two Ground Operations Managers, Pablo Asenjo Garcia and Chatim Ruddy-Herard, sit at a workstation with multiple monitors displaying spacecraft operations data and communication schedules. Laptops, consoles, and control-room equipment are arranged across the desk, while additional screens and workstations fill the background of the mission operations room.

Walter Fiore, Spacecraft Operations Engineer for FLEX at ESA, sits at a workstation in the Main Control Room at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC). Walter is working on a laptop while monitoring multiple screens displaying spacecraft operations data and timelines. Large wall-mounted status displays and ESA branding are visible in the background, highlighting an active mission-control environment.

Maria Jose Parra Ortega, Spacecraft Operations Engineer for the Copernicus Sentinel-3C at ESA, works at a control-room workstation with multiple monitors displaying spacecraft operations data and system status information. A laptop and communications equipment are arranged on the desk, while additional workstations and digital clocks are visible in the background of the mission operations room.

Vladimir Zelenevskiy, Spacecraft Operations Engineer for FLEX at ESA, works at a console in the Main Control Room at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC). Vladimir monitoring multiple screens displaying spacecraft operations data and timelines. Large wall-mounted status displays and the illuminated ESA and ESOC logos are visible in the background, highlighting an active mission-control environment during spacecraft operations.

@operations.esa.int Sep 15, 2026, 12:02 AM

#ESOC mission control has never been more ready. 💪

After completing key steps of the network countdown, the B shift has handed over to the A shift, now on console for the final countdown, liftoff and first signal acquisition for @esa.int's #FLEX and #Copernicus #Sentinel-3C.

📷 ESA/J.Mai

Large group photo of ESA’s FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel‑3C teams gathered outside a building at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC). Team members wearing mission polo shirts stand on steps and around the entrance, with several people in the front holding a spacecraft model and others gesturing toward it, celebrating the joint mission effort.

@operations.esa.int Sep 14, 2026, 8:27 PM

While #Copernicus #Sentinel-3C and @esa.int’s #FLEX missions prepare for liftoff, teams at #ESOC are performing final readiness checks with the supporting ground stations:

📡 ESA’s Kiruna station, KSAT’s Troll and Svalbard stations and SSC Space’s Alaska station.

🎥ESA

@operations.esa.int Sep 11, 2026, 8:29 AM

How have @esa.int’s #FLEX and #Copernicus #Sentinel-3C operations teams been preparing for the upcoming dual launch on 15 September? A rigorous series of launch and early orbit simulations. 🎮

Read more about how #ESOC puts two teams to the test simultaneously 👉
www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...

📷ESA

Emilie Brannan, a Simulation Officer for Sentinel-3C at ESA, and Felix Romero Gomez, a Simulation Officer for FLEX at ESA, sit at neighbouring workstations in the Simulation Office at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre. Computer monitors displaying mission data, laptops, and control-room equipment line the desks behind them. Both Emilie and Felix are facing the camera and smiling.

A team of ESA Simulation Officers gathers in the Simulation Office at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre.

Simulation Officers pictured are Emilie Brannan (Sentinel-3C), Joe Bush (Sentinel-3C), Felix Romero Gomez (FLEX), and Gustavo Baldo Carvalho (FLEX) as well as ESA’s Ground Operations Manager for FLEX Giulio Baldo. Joe trained Gustavo, who in turn trained Emilie and Felix - representing three generations of ESA simulation officers.

The room is equipped with multiple computer workstations and large wall-mounted displays showing mission data and orbital visualisations. Several team members sit at consoles while others stand and discuss activities, creating a collaborative mission-control environment.

A team of ESA Simulation Officers for FLEX in the Simulation Office at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre, including Felix Romero Gomez (FLEX) and Gustavo Baldo Carvalho (FLEX) as well as ESA’s Ground Operations Manager for FLEX Giulio Baldo.

The officers monitor data on multiple computer screens. Gustavo leans over the console while the Giulio and Felix use headsets and radios, with laptops, keyboards, and mission planning charts spread across the desk in a busy control-room environment.

@astrospaceit.bsky.social Sep 5, 2026, 9:00 AM

Il 3 settembre si è svolta una delle operazioni più delicate della missione #BepiColombo: la separazione dal modulo di servizio. Paolo #Ferri ci racconta in prima persona le emozioni percepite al centro di controllo #ESOC di @esa.int.

orbit.astrospace.it/2026/09/05/u...