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European Space History @eurospacehistory.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#OTD 26 September 2018, 100th launch of an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. Ariane 5 VA243 delivered the Horizons-3e and Azerspace-2/Intelsat-38 telecom satellites into orbit. www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup... @cnes.fr @transport.esa.int @esa.int @esaconnectivity.esa.int

An Ariane 5 lifts off into black night sky on its milestone 100th launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on flight VA243.

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 24/09/2026

Just a week ago we signed 18 contracts with around 80 European companies to study potential uses of IRIS²’s Low‑LEO layer, with the aim to strengthen the EU’s secure connectivity constellation 🌐💪 www.esa.int/Applications...

ESA representatives together with the Director and Director of Programmes and Industry of the Agencia Espacial Española (AEE)

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 23/09/2026

Sometimes, all your satellite needs is a little push to extend its operational life🫸 ESA has signed a contract with ClearSpace to develop in-orbit servicing for geostationary satellites. The spacecraft could help keep satellites in the right orbit and orientation when their propellant runs low🧭🛰️

esa.int

ESA supports development of European spacecraft for servicing geostationary satellites

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract with ClearSpace to advance the design and maturation of a spacecraft aimed at extending the operational life of satellites in geostationary o...

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 17/09/2026

How will IRIS² adapt to an ever-changing environment?🌍💪 Today, @esa.int signed 18 consolidation contracts with nearly 80 European companies to explore future gov services and associated mission concepts for the future evolution of EU’s IRIS² through Low-LEO activities www.esa.int/Applications...

Group picture at ESA IRIS2 Low-LEO event at ESA's European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC)

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 16/09/2026

ECS-4, alongside the other ECS satellites, enabled coverage of the whole European continent for cable television📺, telephone communications☎️ and specialised services... ... for around 15 (!) years.

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Reposted by ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications

European Space History @eurospacehistory.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

#OTD 13 September 1977, launch of ESA's OTS-1 satellite on a US Thor Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral. This was the first launch in the Orbital Test Satellite series, ESA’s first telecommunications satellite programme. But events did not unfold smoothly... @esa.int @esaconnectivity.esa.int

Night launch of OTS-1 on a Thor Delta 3914 rocket from Cape Canaveral on 13 September 1977

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European Space History @eurospacehistory.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#OTD 10 September 1982, launch of Ariane 1 L5 with MARECS B and Sirio-2 satellites on board. Unfortunately, the flight failed 7 minutes after liftoff because of a failure of the third stage. The vehicle and payload were lost. #Space #History #SpaceHistory @transport.esa.int @esaconnectivity.esa.int

Liftoff of Ariane 1 L5 rocket into a dark night sky

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Josef Aschbacher @josefaschbacher.esa.int · 10/09/2026

Will we be passengers or pilots? Customers or service providers? Tenants or architects? At the International Space Summit, I argued that Europe must take steps now to shape its own future in space. Read my full speech 🧑‍🚀🚀 esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/corpora... #ParisSpaceSummit

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Reposted by ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications

Josef Aschbacher @josefaschbacher.esa.int · 09/09/2026

Last night we brought together astronauts, ministers, industry leaders and space enthusiasts to celebrate the imagination, innovation and cooperation that define Europe's journey in space. From Earth orbit to deep space, we were reminded that today's ambitions become tomorrow's achievements.

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 07/09/2026

#OTD in 2022, Eutelsat KONNECT VHTS launched aboard an Ariane 5, carrying with it the most powerful onboard digital processor ever placed in orbit🔥 So, why send a computer to space? It can work as the brain of the satellite, guiding communications traffic by processing, sorting and routing data💾

Ariane 5 VA258 launch carrying Eutelsat Konnect VHTS

Eutelsat Konnect VHTS ready for integration

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/09/2026

Not all space missions send back images 🌍 Some will help protect the information we send🔒⚛️ The Quantum Faint Pulse Source, a key technology for @esa.int's QKDSat - developed by DAS Photonics - creates the quantum signals needed for Quantum Key Distribution. www.esa.int/Applications...

esa.int

Quantum laser pulse generator ready to power ESA’s QKDSat

Encrypting messages from space by taking advantage of the laws of quantum physics is the next step towards secure communications. A core technology enabling this capability has now been qualified for ...

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 24/08/2026

🇬🇧The UK is ramping up satcom investment via @esa.int , targeting quantum-secure comms, high-bandwidth laser links and future 5G/6G integration⬆️ Projects include satellite-connected crop sensors for farmers and broadband for passengers on Scotland’s West Highland Line🚜🚄 @ukspaceagency.bsky.social

esa.int

Space-enabled connectivity to tackle key UK challenges

More than a dozen European Space Agency projects will use satellite-enabled technologies to address challenges impacting the everyday lives of UK citizens.

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 19/08/2026

Satellites may not sexy, but they are shiny✨... and extremely useful💪 On #WorldPhotographyDay we highlight some of the coolest pictures of the history of European telecommunications satellites🛰️📡 @esa.int @eurospacehistory.bsky.social

ESA's Olympus civilian telecommunications satellite being tested in Canada, 1988.

Credits: Picture Report

Close up of ESA and Eutelsat's ECS-1 (European Communications Satellite 1)

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 12/08/2026

Do sat comms still work during today’s solar eclipse?🌒🛰️ Yes! Satellites 'watch' eclipses often, not just from the Moon, but also from Earth. They may switch to batteries and be briefly affected, but only for minutes⌛ So, even during today’s eclipse, sat comms keep working #Eclipse2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 10/08/2026

Seat back 💺 Relax 🧘‍♀️ And enjoy the flight ✈️ … unless satellite communications are disrupted 🛰️ www.esa.int/Applications... 🧵👇🏼

What would happen to the aviation sector…

… If ESA Member States and Canada lost satcom for a week?

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 08/08/2026

#OTD in 2000, the first telecoms 🌐, navigation🧭 and earth observation🌍️ satellite system was used in an emergency to help during the Thynne Mountain forest fire in British Columbia, Canada🍁 @navigation.esa.int @esaearth.esa.int

REMSAT backpack, enabling fire fighters to connect and navigate through satellites.

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 07/08/2026

Connectivity is at the heart of security 🌐 The collaborative efforts of IRIS² will define how Europe remains connected and strong in the future🌍💪

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 06/08/2026

#OTD 7 years ago, EDRS-C launched aboard an Ariane 5🚀 Dubbed SpaceDataHighway, the European Data Relay System, used laser tech to relay Earth observation images back to the ground, beaming the data back almost immediately and thereby accelerating emergency response down here🚑️ 🌍️ @transport.esa.int

Ariane 5 launching from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/08/2026

🎥Movie streaming takes less than a second today thanks to decades of innovation in satellite broadcasting 📺 #OTD in 1984, the European Communications Satellite 2 launched aboard Ariane 3 flight V10, expanding sat comms and international TV across Europe🛰️🌍 @esa.int @eurospacehistory.bsky.social

Ariane 3 flight V10 from Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, carrying the European Communications Satellite 2.

Inflight shot of booster separation. Credits: Ariane Group

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 30/07/2026

We can't get enough of these stunning observatory images 🤩⚡️ More to come as @esa.int and the National Observatory of Athens sign a Memorandum of Intent to develop ground optical technologies in Greece, the essential Earth-based links connecting with satellites via laser comms 🇬🇷 Thread for more👇️

Helmos Observatory
Credits: Theofanis Matsopoulos

Helmos telescope.
Credits: Theofanis Matsopoulos

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 29/07/2026

Are you ready to shape our programmes' strategy and communicate to various stakeholders?🤔 We have a job opening for a Programme and Strategy Coordinator within the Directorate of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity, based in ESTEC (Netherlands). Details 👉️ jobs.esa.int/job/Noordwij...

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 27/07/2026

🇱🇺 just upgraded international quantum-secure communications🔐 Developed under an @esa.int Partnership Project, the Optical Ground Station built by HITEC Luxembourg in a consortium led by Starion Luxembourg will help distribute quantum cryptographic keys through future international secure networks ⚛️

Newly commissioned Optical Ground Station (OGS) in Luxembourg.
Credits: HITEC Luxembourg/Starion

Different representatives inside the newly commissioned Optical Ground Station (OGS) in Luxembourg.
Credits: HITEC Luxembourg/Starion

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European Space History @eurospacehistory.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

#ThisWeek in 2013, Alphasat (now called Inmarsat-4A F4) — then Europe's largest and most sophisticated telecoms satellite — was launched on Ariane 5 VA214 on 25 July from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. www.esa.int/Newsroom/Pre... @esaconnectivity.esa.int @esa.int @cnes.fr @transport.esa.int

Ariane 5 rocket lifts off into blue skies

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European Space History @eurospacehistory.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Part of the ESA stand for the #Farnborough Air Show in 1980 promoting European communication satellites, with a list of satellites in orbit or under development at the time: OTS-2, ECS-1, Marecs A and L-Sat (Olympus), with live link TV monitors. #FIA2026 @esaconnectivity.esa.int

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 21/07/2026

🤔How do we measure the impact of our programmes? Curious about this question as well? Apply for the Junior Professional in Market Intelligence role and investigate the relevance of our projects in resilience, navigation and connectivity 💪 🧭 📶 Deadline 28 July 2026: jobs.esa.int/job/Harwell-...

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 20/07/2026

🌒 The first Moon landing over 50 years ago proved we could get there. The next step is making it easier to return and stay there. @esa.int's Moonlight is developing the communication and navigation infrastructure to make that possible 📶 🧭 #InternationalMoonDay resilience.esa.int/moonlight

The Moon encircled by glowing nodes and connecting lines forming a geometric constellation, illustrating a proposed ESA lunar communications and navigation network against a starry space background.

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 01/07/2026

🍁Happy Canada Day to our Cooperating State 🇨🇦 ESA recently signed a contract with Canadian satellite communications company Kepler to help advance Hydron - the 'fibre of the sky'⚡️ All for better connectivity on space thanks to optical communications www.esa.int/Applications...

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 25/06/2026

What if you could impact the future of Direct-to-Device (D2D) communications?📱🚙 ESA is hiring a Mission Manager for our D2D projects 👇️ jobs.esa.int/job/Noordwij...

Visual of the Earth, with the Moon and a satellite on the right of the image.

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 24/06/2026

We wouldn't build cities on Earth without roads, comms and navigation. The same is true for the Moon🌒 ESA's Moonlight programme is creating the infrastructure that future lunar missions will rely on, laying the foundations for a sustainable presence beyond Earth🌍️ connectivity.esa.int/moonlight

Artist impression of an astronaut on the Moon's surface. Includes the text: ESA's Moonlight

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 22/06/2026

🥵 Hot temperatures can lead to more wildfires🔥 How can satellite communications help emergency responders in these situations? www.esa.int/Applications...

GeoVille's SatAlert service, which uses data from Copernicus satellites

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 16/06/2026

#OTD in 1983, ECS‑1 launched aboard Ariane 1, Europe’s first step towards its own space-based communications 📶 From analogue signals to secure networks, the mission set the tone for Europe's present in space. Today, IRIS² builds on that legacy by reinforcing Europe’s autonomy in orbit 👁️ 🔐

Ariane 1 launching from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, on 16 June 1983, carrying ECS-1 and Amsat P3B.

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 15/06/2026

Do you want to contribute to the future of mobile connectivity?📱 We are hiring a Procurement Coordinator for Direct-to-Device (D2D) projects at ESA. Interested? 🤔 👉️ jobs.esa.int/job/Noordwij...

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 11/06/2026

Initially planned for one year, MDA Space's JoeySat marks its third year in orbit! 🥳 Built with support from @esa.int, @ukspaceagency.bsky.social and @eutelsat.bsky.social, JoeySat delivers flexible broadband anywhere with a 'hopping' beam, from busy summer festivals to airplanes💃 ✈️

A long-exposure picture from Earth of JoeySat's orbit

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 09/06/2026

How do you shape the future of satcom in space?🤔 You gather 300+ people from 30+ countries to connect, swap ideas and co-design how optical and quantum comms will work in orbit. Missed this year's ScyLight Conference? Here's the visual recap; maybe you'll join next year👀

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 07/06/2026

🇪🇸We've officially wrapped up #ScyLight2026 in Tenerife, Spain! We are delighted to reveal that... ✨We welcomed 316 participants throughout the event ✨91% of you were from an ESA Member State, with 24% joining us from Spain.

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Concluding the ‘Optical Space Segment‘ session, Regis Grasser, PhD (Bertin Group) is next on stage. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Miguel Ángel Piqueras Ruipérez (TECHNOBIT) is introducing the FANTASTIC project, supported under ESA's Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Meanwhile, Dalius Petrulionis (Astrolight) is sharing his company's latest developments in inter-satellite link terminals, demonstrating how optical technologies are expanding connectivity capabilities across space architectures. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Julian Woicke (TESAT) will present TESAT's work on secure Optical Communication Terminals (OCTs), which will support multi-orbit connectivity and help to build the foundations of future space-based communication networks. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Our final session of #ScyLight2026 is being kicked off by Will Crowcombe (FSO Instruments) on the transition to volume production, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of scaling the manufacturing of optical communication terminals to meet growing market demand. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Frédéric Maes (MPB Communications) is closing the ‘Optical Perspectives‘ session, presenting developments in high-performance optical amplifiers, a key enabling technology for next-generation optical satellite communications and future high-throughput networks. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Torsten Bähr (Mynaric) is highlighting the importance of scalable optical connectivity to address the growing demand for high-capacity communications networks in space. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Alain Thomas (Safran) is concluding the Optical Ground Stations session with Novalink, a backbone node for optical communications within ESA’s SOLiS programme. It illustrates how integrated ground infrastructures will support future optical networks at scale. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Thierry Lanz (OGS Technologies) shares initial results from the LEO direct-to-Earth demonstration between CO3D/LASIN and FrOGS, highlighting operational advances in optical communications from orbit. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Sergio Salata of AVS presents results from the launch and detection of 532 nm polarised light from ESA’s Optical Ground Station. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

Airbus are discussing how collaboration is key to realising effective quantum communication systems. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

@airbus.com are now talking about TELEO, a world-first laser communications satellite that operates from GEO to ground in multiple directions. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

TESAT has now taken to the stage, to reveal more about their work in laser communications. #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

We'll be shortly beginning with a Sponsored Industry Focus Session featuring Luis Berdejo (Airbus Defence and Space). #ScyLight2026

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ESA Connectivity and Secure Communications @esaconnectivity.esa.int · 04/06/2026

📸While we look ahead to another day of discussions at #ScyLight2026, enjoy our photo collection of our team's visit to ESA's Optical Ground Station and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) facilities at Teide Observatory.

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