ESA Explores

More than 50 years after humans first set foot on the Moon, a new era of lunar exploration is taking shape. This time, the ambition is not simply to get there, but to learn how to explore, live and work farther from Earth.

In this episode of ESA Explores, we speak with Sara Pastor, ESA’s Lunar Projects Group Leader, about why the Moon matters, Europe’s role in its exploration and how what we learn there could help prepare us for future missions even farther away, including Mars.

This is the second episode in a three-part series exploring Europe’s future in low Earth orbit, on the Moon and on Mars.

This interview was recorded in October 2026.

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Low Earth orbit is changing. With the International Space Station (ISS) approaching the later years of its life, new commercial destinations emerging and Europe investing in future transportation capabilities, a new chapter is beginning in orbit.

In this episode of ESA Explores, we speak with ESA astronaut and Head of the Human Exploration Department Andreas Mogensen about why low Earth orbit still matters, what comes after the ISS and how Europe is preparing for its future in space.

This is the first episode in a three-part series exploring Europe’s future in low Earth orbit, on the Moon and on Mars.

This interview was recorded in August 2026.

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Go behind the scenes at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, and discover how space experiments are prepared long before they reach orbit. Meet the ECOS team, as Deputy Manager Salvi Verma shares how they work with scientists, engineers and astronauts to turn ideas into real missions aboard the International Space Station. From early planning on the ground to supporting astronauts like ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot during her Epsilon mission, this is how space science becomes reality.

This interview was recorded in March 2026.

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Meet the voices astronauts hear in space. At ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, the Eurocom team is the link between crew and ground, guiding astronauts like ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot through their daily work on the International Space Station. Join us as Eurocom expert Andreas Orth explains how complex operations are translated into clear, real-time communication and what it means to be the one voice connecting Earth and orbit.

This interview was recorded in March 2026.

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Step inside the Columbus Control Centre near Munich, in Germany, and discover what it takes to keep ESA's Columbus science laboratory running—24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as Columbus Flight Director Tristan Hermel takes us through how teams on the ground in mission control coordinate operations, support astronauts and work with international partners across the globe.

See what life behind the consoles really looks like at a time when ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot is on board the Space Station for her Epsilon mission.

This interview was recorded in January 2026.

Keep exploring with ESA Explores!