🚀 3… 2… 1… creativity takes off! 🎨 🛸 It’s Paxi here! 👽 Have you ever watched a rocket launch? I always wonder about the exciting adventure ahead. Where is it going? What is it carrying? And how does it reach space? 💫 If rockets make you curious too, I have some exciting news for you… 🥁 Drum roll, please! 🥁 🚀 Rockets are the theme of this month’s Cosmic Art Contest, and I can’t wait to see what you create! 🤩 ✍️ Will you draw a rocket racing through space? Build your own model? Or invent a rocket unlike anything we’ve ever seen? 🤔 Let your imagination take you to space! ✨ 👉 esa.int/kids/en/things_to_do…

📣 Calling universities with space-related Master’s programmes 💫 The ESA Academy Academic Scholarship Programme has been relaunched, and its Call for Proposals is now open! 🎓The programme supports access to space-related higher education by supporting students’ tuition fees, while promoting international mobility and equal opportunities. 🌍 Eligible higher education institutions established in ESA Member States, Associate Members and Canada can apply with eligible Master’s programmes and request between one and ten scholarships. How does it work? 🚀 Institutions apply through the Call for Proposals on esa-star. 🚀 Selected institutions run their student selection process and submit a shortlist to ESA. 🚀 ESA performs the final selection of scholarship beneficiaries. 🚀 Scholarships may cover part or all of the tuition fees. Find out more about the programme: 🔗  esa.int/Education/Engagement… Access the Call for Proposals on esa-star: 🔗 esastar-publication-ext.sso.… Help us spread the word and support the next generation of space professionals ✨

🚀 Could you turn space technology into a business idea? Applications are now open for the ESA Academy Space Technology and Commercialisation Workshop! 🎓 From 18 to 22 January 2027, university students will explore how space technologies can inspire innovative products, services and business opportunities. 🛰️ 💡 Work with real ESA patents 🤝 Develop an innovative application in a team 📈 Build a business model 🎤 Pitch your concept like an entrepreneur Ready to turn space technology into your next big idea? Find out more: 🔗 esa.int/Education/ESA_Academ…

Are your students ready to design a habitat for space exploration? 🏠✨ 🌙 Moon Camp 2026–2027 is now open! 🚀 ✂️ From craft materials to digital design tools, games, robotics and scientific experiments, students can use the design method of their choice to imagine life beyond Earth. 💻 🪐 Explore what it takes to sustain life in space and discover exciting destinations across our Solar System. 👨‍🚀 An expert of living in space is this year's Moon Camp ambassador: ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet! 🌝 Register today and start your Moon Camp journey! 👇 🔗 esa.int/Education/Moon_Camp/… 📸: ESA/Foster + Partners

🛰️ Ever wondered what it takes to build a satellite? 🪛 👩‍🏫 Give your students the opportunity to find out with CanSat 2026-2027! 🥫 Secondary school teams aged 14 to 19 will design, build and launch a satellite the size of a soft drink can, experiencing every stage of a real space mission, from mission design and testing to launch, operations and data analysis. 🪂 🌍 National competitions take place across Europe and Canada, with Latvia and Switzerland joining this year. Find out more here 👇 🔗 esa.int/Education/CanSat/Can…

🚀 What if your students could write code that runs on the International Space Station? 💫 The 2026–2027 European Astro Pi Challenge is now open! 💻 Through Astro Pi, students can develop coding skills while carrying out real space science. Their computer programs can run on Raspberry Pi computers aboard the International Space Station. 🛰️ Choose your challenge: 🖼️ Design your own pixel art with Mission Zero 🗺️ Conduct a scientific experiment with Mission Space Lab 👨‍🚀 And guess what? ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is this year's Astro Pi ambassador! 🤩 Find out more here 👇 🔗 esa.int/Education/AstroPI/As… 📸:  ESA & Raspberry Pi Foundation

🏃‍♀️ What does it take to train like an astronaut? ✨ 🤸 Launch your students on a space-inspired adventure with Mission X 2026–2027, combining fitness, science, health, and nutrition through hands-on activities inspired by real astronaut training and designed to bring STEM learning to life. 🧘‍♀️ 👨‍🚀 ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is the Mission X 2026–2027 ambassador! Register today and start your students' training adventure. 🙌 🔗 esa.int/Education/Mission_X/…

👩‍🏫 Teachers, ready to turn your students into real climate detectives? 🕵️‍♀️🌍 🔎 Help your class uncover the secrets of our planet and tackle real environmental challenges using actual Earth observation data! 🗺️ 🛰️ Join the Climate Detectives 2026–2027 school-level project and inspire your students to make a difference to our future. 🌱✨ 👉 Find out more: esa.int/Education/Teachers_C…

🚀✨ It’s back-to-school time! ✨🚀 👩‍🏫💫 With five exciting projects, your students can tackle real-world challenges, build new skills and let their imaginations soar: 🕵️‍♀️ Climate Detectives: explore Earth science and investigate climate issues in your local environment 🌍 👩‍🚀 Mission X: train like an astronaut and explore the science of staying fit and healthy 🏃‍♀️‍➡️ 🥫 CanSat: design, build and launch a soda-can-sized satellite 🪂 👩‍💻 Astro Pi: write code that runs on board the International Space Station 🛰️ 🌙 Moon Camp: imagine and design future habitats beyond Earth 🧱 But there’s more: ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will be the ambassador for Mission X, Astro Pi and Moon Camp! 👨‍🚀 From coding and engineering to climate science and space exploration, these projects bring science, creativity and innovation to life in the classroom and beyond. 📚🌟 Ready to get started? Discover the projects and find out how you can take part: 🔗 esa.int/Education/Teachers_C…

🚀 Who decides what Europe’s future in space looks like? Applications are now open for the first edition of the Space Policy in Action training course! 🎓 ✨ Open to university students from any academic background, the course will take you through more than 50 years of European cooperation and space policy, from the foundations that built today's space sector to the challenges that will shape its future. 🛰️ Step into the world of space policy through interactive lectures, case studies and a simulated ministerial negotiation, gaining practical insight into the decisions, governance and international cooperation that shape Europe's space sector. ⚖️ 🗓️ 7–11 December 2026 📍 ESA ESEC, Belgium Ready to explore the past, present and future of Europe's role in space? Find out more and apply: 🔗 esa.int/Education/ESA_Academ…

🚀 Shake, rattle, test! The GraviTE student team recently travelled to ESA Education's CubeSat Support Facility in Belgium to put their bioreactor through vibration testing. 🧪🩸 From preparing the hardware to analysing the results, the campaign gave students hands-on experience with the challenges of developing space-related technology. 🔬 Read more about their journey: esa.int/Education/Educationa…

🚀👨‍🚀 Final call: Mission X is almost over! Have your students trained like astronauts yet? 👨‍🚀 From exciting fitness challenges to hands-on science activities, Mission X gives young explorers the chance to discover how astronauts stay healthy and prepare for life in space. ⏰ The deadline to submit activities is 14 August 2026. There's still time to join the challenge, complete activities, and earn certificates for your team before this year's Mission X comes to an end. Don't miss out, gather your team and take part today! 👨‍🚀🚀 👉 trainlikeanastronaut.org/

Who is excited about the upcoming eclipse? ☀️🌕 Join the fun and craft with Paxi! 🤩 👇

Gotta catch 'em all! 🚀

☀️Active summer mission alert for all future astronauts! 🏖️ 🤸‍♀️ The beach is more than a holiday destination, it can also be your training ground! 🚀 Join Luna and Leo and put your astronaut skills to the test with fun Mission X activities like the Agility Astro-Course, Base Station Walk-back and more! 🏃 Jump, run and explore like an astronaut 💧 Don’t forget to stay hydrated in the summer heat and wear sunscreen 🌍 Complete challenges wherever your adventures take you Ready to train like an astronaut? ⏳ There’s still time to sign up for Mission X and join teams from around the world! 🚨 Deadline: 14 August 🔗 trainlikeanastronaut.org/ #MissionX #TrainLikeAnAstronaut 🚀🌞

🪐 Are you a Master's student with an interest in exoplanets and planetary science? 📡 ESA Education is pleased to sponsor up to 3 Master's students to attend PLATO ESP2026: Confronting Exoplanets Across Time and Space through the ESA Academy Conference Student Sponsorship programme. 🔗 Find out more about the conference and the sponsorship opportunity: warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physic…

Day 147, orbit 2289 — I received so much love ❤️ from my loved ones, friends, crewmates and ground teams on my birthday last Sunday… Thank you also for your lovely birthday messages on social media – they truly mean a lot to me. I can say with absolute certainty that I’ll never forget the day I completed my 44th trip around the Sun while circling the Earth! 🌍☀️ Our Russian crewmates are the master bakers 🎂 on board the International Space Station, and the multi-layered cake – made with honey bread, yogurt, sweetened milk, rehydrated berries and topped with pine nuts – was absolutely delicious! We can’t light traditional candles for birthdays (because: fire 🔥), but we do have a torch lamp decorated with coloured tape to simulate a flame! The trick, of course, is to turn it off at exactly the same moment you’re blowing on it! There was no magic involved either in Columbus, where the Astro Pi computers were displaying a lit candle 🕯 on their screens… When I blew on them, the humidity sensor detected my breath and triggered the program to display a second image, this time of an extinguished candle! Thanks, @ESA__Education! I can’t begin to express how wonderful these traditions made me feel – truly at home away from home.  One week later, and my feet still haven’t touched the ground! 😉 🎥 @esa / @NASA #εpsilon • @esaspaceflight • @Space_Station • @NASAJohnson • @ESA_fr • @cnes