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Sophie Adenot was last to get into her seat. With the hatch now closed, Crew-12 members are preparing to undock and begin their journey home. After nearly eight months in orbit, Earth is next. Undocking is scheduled NET 12:05 GMT/14:05 CEST (livestreaming starts at 11:45 GMT/13:45 CEST) 👋🛰️ #εpsilon

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Time to go home! ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and her Crew-12 crewmates are helping each other don their pressure suits inside Dragon Freedom, the spacecraft that will bring them back to Earth after nearly eight months aboard the International Space Station. #εpsilon

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👩‍🚀🌍 One final crew conference before @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot returns to Earth. This special moment connected Sophie with some of the many people who have supported her #εpsilon mission from the ground. 🔗 blogs.esa.int/exploration/...

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 3h

🔴 At 12:00 CEST, watch live as ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and her Crew-12 crewmates enter Dragon Freedom and close the hatch after nearly eight months aboard the International Space Station. 📺 watch.esa.int + ESA’s #YouTube channel

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"Day 235, orbit 3653 – This is the end of the orbital chapter of the #εpsilon mission, but I look forward to continuing to share my experience with you. But first: undocking, splashdown, flying back to Europe and getting adjusted to 1G!" says @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot. 🎥 ESA/NASA

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 5h

Three AirTags go to the Moon? 🌕 Not quite. @esa.int’s ultra-wideband demonstrator will use three devices to test wireless communications and precise ranging between a lunar lander and rover, helping future explorers locate one another on the Moon 📍 🔗 Find out more: www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 06/10/2026

Some 1200 km away from the desert, a large team of planners & scientists worked around the clock at the Rover Operations Control Centre in Italy. Every day, or martian sol, they planned the route and analysed images & science data, just as they will during the real mission on the Mars in 2030.

Science team at the Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC) in Turin, Italy, hosted and operated by ALTEC.

Teams next to Charlie the rover at the Tabernas desert in south-eastern Spain.

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 06/10/2026

Watch live as ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and Crew-12 return from their nearly eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station! Undocking is currently scheduled NET 7 October at 12:05 GMT/14:05 CEST. 📺 More information and broadcast start times ➡️ www.esa.int/Science_Expl... #εpsilon

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 05/10/2026

"Day 234, orbit 3627 — I’ll soon have my feet back on Earth, but I definitely plan to keep sharing the beauty of our planet w/ you. I still have a few photos in store… 😉 This heart 💚 is the small Croatian island of Galešnjak", says @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot. 📸 ESA/NASA – S. Adenot #εpsilon

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 05/10/2026

🔴 Laser pointer, but make it science. @esa.int’s MPAc will point a next-generation lunar retroreflector towards Earth, allowing scientists to measure the distance between Earth and the Moon with millimetre-level precision 🌕🌍📏

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 04/10/2026

"Day 233, orbit 3612 — These last few days before departure are full of special moments… After more than 2 months at the helm of the Station, Jessica handed over command to Pyotr, who arrived w/ Anna and Anil in July aboard Soyuz MS-29", says @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot. 📸 ESA/NASA #εpsilon

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 03/10/2026

"Day 232, orbit 3596 – Yoohoo! Crew-13 has arrived! It feels so good to welcome new crewmates aboard the Station 😄" says @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot! #εpsilon

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 02/10/2026

Can you identify these @esa.int Moon missions from a bad one-line description? 🌚 😎 Laser pointer but make it science. 👨‍🚀 Keeps astronauts alive. Takes cool photos. 📦 A delivery service for places with no postcode. 📡 Making sure lunar spacecraft can’t ghost you. Stay tuned to find out what these are 😉

Earthshine on the Moon, taken by Sophie Adenot during her epsilon mission. Credit: ESA/NASA-S. Adenot. A crescent Moon against a black sky, with sunlight illuminating a thin arc of the lunar surface. Craters and rugged terrain are visible along the bright edge, while the rest of the Moon fades into darkness.

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Over the next few weeks we’ll explore missions that: 🔬 fire lasers at the Moon 📡 build lunar communications networks 🚚 deliver cargo to the lunar surface 👨‍🚀 help return humans to deep space Watch this space! 🚀

Artemis II Earth setting behind the Moon. Credit: NASA. On the left we see the Orion spacecraft carrying four astronauts, a white cylinder with small engines jutting out of it and a hint of a long solar array on the top left. Across the darkness of space, we see on the right of the image the Moon, with a small crescent setting Earth behind it.

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Our closest neighbour is still full of mysteries 🌙 The Moon is a time capsule that can teach us about the history of our Solar System 🌌. At the same time we’re testing the technologies needed to live and work beyond Earth, step by step towards future journeys to Mars 🔴.

The full Moon captured by ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen during his Huginn mission on board the International Space Station. A small full Moon in the darkness of space on the right can be seen, with the haze of the Earth's blue atmosphere on the left.

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Tonight’s Moon is a waning gibbous 🌖. Although its sight is familiar, the Moon is anything but ordinary 🌚 384 400 km away from Earth, with temperatures ranging from +123°C to -233°C and gravity just 1/6 of Earth’s, it’s a world unlike any other .

A waning gibbous Moon, about 3/4 full with 1/4 obscured in the darkness of space. Credit: stock photo leospek

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🌝 Welcome to Moon month! Join us throughout October to discover how @esa.int is exploring the Moon, from laser experiments and lunar rovers to Moon landers and astronaut missions 👨‍🚀.

Earthset from lunar orbit during Artemis II. Credit: NASA. A grey cratered Moon in the foreground with a shining crescent Earth setting behind it, and the blackness of space beyond.

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We want your ideas for research at white Mars! ❄️🧪 Concordia station in Antarctica is one of Earth's closest analogues for space exploration 👨‍🚀. Research in this unique environment helps us prepare for future missions to the Moon and Mars 🌕🔴. Send your ideas by 2 Nov 🔗 ideas.esa.int/core/servlet...

Concordia station during the summer. Credit: ESA/IPEV/PNRA-S. Gaier. Two white cylindrical buildings with red details stand on the horizon, below a clear blue sky and above an icy white landscape.

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🎙️ Want to go deeper? Check out our latest #ESAExplores episode with @esa.int astronaut Andreas Mogensen, where we chat about Europe’s future in low Earth orbit. Listen on your favourite podcast platform ▶️ esaexplores.podbean.com/e/what-s-nex...

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📅 Mars year 1 started on 11 April 1955. But why? 🌪️ That date was chosen so that the 1956 global dust storm, the first well-documented one, falls at the very start of the count.

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 27/09/2026

Happy New Mars Year! 🥳 At exactly 10:16 CEST/08:16 UTC on Earth, the Red Planet begins a new orbit around our Sun. Join us in celebrating martian year 39 🎉

Infographic with facts and figures about New Mars Year 39.

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"Day 226 orbit 3501 — Sunday morning science with Sophie, episode 16, part 2: How radiation affects systems and astronauts…" with @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot! 🎥 ESA/NASA #εpsilon

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 26/09/2026

Do you know what a mafic rock is? 🪨

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 24/09/2026

"Day 223, orbit 3456 — We’ve all heard the saying, “Don’t play with your food”... To be honest, in microgravity, it’s hard to resist!" says @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot. 🎥 ESA/NASA #εpsilon

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 22/09/2026

🚀 Today, European teams conduct the 500th simulation for @esa.int International Space Station operations. More than 260 flight controllers have been certified to date. This simulation helps prepare future flight controllers to support astronauts and science aboard the Space Station.

Participants during the 500th European simulation supporting International Space Station operations at ESA's European Astronaut Centre. Credits: ESA

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 22/09/2026

👨‍🚀 Pablo Álvarez and the #PANGAEA effect. 👀 An engineer by training, the @esa.int astronaut is starting to see the world through geological eyes. blogs.esa.int/caves/2026/0...

ESA astronaut Pablo Álvarez examines a rock sample in the Ries Crater area in search of clues about the meteorite impact that hit Germany around 15 million years ago.

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 20/09/2026

Day 219 orbit 3391 — Sunday morning science with Sophie, episode 16, part 1: Radiation, the “aurora factory”. 🎥 @esa.int / NASA

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 19/09/2026

"Day 218 orbit 3379 — Successful EVAs often depend on finding the right working position. I'll never forget this moment from EVA-98: switching sides gave me the leverage I needed to free the failed SGANT antenna from its stowage position" says @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot. 🎥 ESA/NASA #εpsilon

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 19/09/2026

Week 2 of #PANGAEA geology training: 🪨 Moon rocks from Apollo missions 🗺️ Mapping the lunar surface ☄️ Finding traces of a cataclysmic asteroid impact around 15 million years ago 📸 Follow the journey in our gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/europ...

JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui (right) and ESA astronaut Pablo Álvarez (leaft) are looking at a piece of the Moon collected during the Apollo missions on display at the RiesKrater Museum in Germany.

JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui during a lunar crater mapping exercise under the supervision of Katherine Joy, instructor of the ESA PANGAEA training campaign in 2026.

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli uses a magnifying lens to examine the components of a rock sample from the Ries crater area in Germany.

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 18/09/2026

Geology Moon joy, with astronauts on Earth 🌚 ESA's new #PANGAEA instructor Katherine Joy dreams of new lunar samples. She's the only European scientist on the geology team for Artemis IV, the next crewed mission to land on the Moon. blogs.esa.int/caves/2026/0... @manchester.ac.uk

ESA PANGAEA instructor Katherine Joy with astronaut Pablo Álvarez during rock recognition exercises in the Ries impact crater, Germany.

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 17/09/2026

"Day 216, orbit 3348 — Food has always been a way to connect people. We often trade specialties – before long, everyone knows each other's favorites 😋 & saving a treat for a crewmate is one of the many small gestures that help build a strong crew", says @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot. 🎥 ESA/NASA

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 16/09/2026

"Day 215, orbit 3333 — 200 days in space is definitely something we celebrate, with cake, of course!", shares @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot. 📸 ESA/NASA #εpsilon

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 15/09/2026

🌍➡️🚀 What comes after the International Space Station? In the latest episode of #ESAExplores, @esa.int astronaut Andreas Mogensen shares his perspective on Europe's future in orbit, from commercial space stations to the next chapter of human spaceflight. 🎧 Listen now: pod.link/1463873320

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 14/09/2026

"Day 213, orbit 3302 — The South American desert never disappoints. These volcanoes & mountain peaks look magnificent from above... On a recent pass, travelling at 28,000 km/h, I snapped 1,400 pictures in only 6 min 😉" says @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot. 📸 ESA/NASA – S. Adenot

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 14/09/2026

🪨 Why do astronauts need to learn geology? 👨‍🚀 Pablo, Jasmin and Kimiya reply right from the Bletterbach canyon in Italy, in week one of @esa.int's PANGAEA training.

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 13/09/2026

"Day 212 orbit 3282 — Sunday morning science, episode 15: Mass, inertia and energy! The more mass an object has, the more energy it takes to change its motion..." says @esa.int astronaut Sophie Adenot. 🎥 ESA/NASA

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 12/09/2026

A closer look at our Orion plush 👀🧶 ✅ Crew module (grey cone) ✅ European Service Module (white cylinder) ✅ Four solar arrays (blue) ✅ Main engine (grey) ❓ What’s missing? 🚀 32 more engines! The real European Service Module also boasts 8 auxiliary thrusters and 24 reaction control system engines.

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 12/09/2026

From crochet hook to launch pad 🧶🚀 For #InternationalCrochetDay, here’s a throwback to our Orion plush visiting NASA’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of Artemis II. The real spacecraft flew four astronauts around the Moon, powered by @esa.int’s European Service Module. 📸: ESA-M. Deschamps

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ESA Exploration @exploration.esa.int · 12/09/2026

🌚🔴 Moon or Mars... Can you guess who's holding a Moon rock? 👨‍🚀 Astronauts get hands-on with meteorites from other worlds during @esa.int's PANGAEA geology training. Left to right: Kimiya Yui (JAXA), Jasmin Moghbeli (NASA), Pablo Álvarez (ESA).

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli (NASA), Kimiya Yui (JAXA) and Pablo Álvarez (ESA) are thrilled to examine meteorite samples from the Moon and Mars in their hands during the PANGAEA geology training.

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🚀 Europe is taking a major step towards autonomous cargo transportation in low Earth orbit. @esa.int has signed a contract with The Exploration Company under ALADDIN for an initial Nyx demonstration mission to the International Space Station and future cargo services. 🔗 www.esa.int/Newsroom/Pre...

A photo of the International Space Station captured by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet in 2021. Credits: NASA/ESA–T. Pesquet

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📚 Classroom theory is paired with trips to the field. ⛰️ During their first week, astronauts are exploring the Bletterbach canyon in Italy. 📝 Part of the training involves sketching an outcrop to trace a riverbed millions of years ago.

Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli (NASA), Pablo Álvarez (ESA) and Kimiya Yui (JAXA) drawing an outcrop in the Bletterbach canyon in Italy as part of the PANGAEA geology training.

From left to right, ESA PANGAEA 2026 trainees Pablo Álvarez (ESA), Jasmin Moghbeli (NASA) and Kimiya Yui (JAXA) sketching a rock outcrop in the Bletterbach canyon, Italy.

PANGAEA trainees explore a wide section of the Bletterbach canyon in Italy to describe and draw a geological outcrop.

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Smell, touch, observe 🖐️👃👀 Astronauts experience geology using their senses during @esa.int's PANGAEA training.

ESA astronaut Pablo Álvarez smells a rock sample to look for traces of carbonaceous fragments.

After holding a sample of kaolinite, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli smiles as she shows the effect that this clay-like rock has had on her hands.

JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui observes a rock sample to assign it to the right stratigraphic column in the Bletterbach canyon area with the help of a PANGAEA instructor.

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❄️ Adrianos spent a year at Concordia station in Antarctica as @esa's medical doctor, researching how humans adapt to living in one of the most remote bases on Earth to help us prepare for missions beyond 🌌 blogs.esa.int/concordia/ca...

Adrianos Golemis at the top of the American Tower, 45 metres above Concordia station in Antarctica. Adrianos is on the left with a visor and very warm clothes and the two white towers of Concordia station can be seen in the distance, amid an empty ice landscape.

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