Pioneering abstract artist Hilma af Klint’s Paintings for the Temple (1906‑1915) will be on display at the Grand Palais in Paris from May 6 - Aug 30, 2026.
europeanspaceagency posted a photo:
A view of the Vega launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, with the Vega-C rocket that will carry Smile to space.
Smile is due to launch on 19 May 2026. Preparations are taking place on the launch pad, with the rocket built up stage-by-stage inside a mobile building. About four hours before launch, the building will roll away to reveal the complete rocket inside.
Vega-C is made up of four stages, with the fairing (a nose cone that splits into two) sitting on top of the fourth stage. The fairing will protect Smile during its ascent to space through Earth’s atmosphere. Almost five minutes after liftoff, the fairing will split open, revealing Smile inside. At that point, Smile will still be attached to the third and fourth stages of the Vega-C.
Find out more about Smile’s journey from launch to orbit
Find out more about the Vega launch site
Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Vega-C programme is led by ESA, working with Avio as prime contractor and design authority. It ensures that Europe has versatile and independent access to space.
[Image description: A photo showing a rocket launch pad at night. At the centre of the image is a tall rectangular cream-coloured building, with a thin white rocket inside. Platforms at various heights give people access to different parts of the rocket. The building is surrounded by metal pylons.]
Credits: ESA-M. Pédoussaut
europeanspaceagency posted a photo:
A lorry carries the fairing of a Vega-C rocket, with the Smile spacecraft inside, to the launch pad.
Smile is due to launch on 19 May 2026. Preparations are taking place on the launch pad, with the rocket’s four stages already assembled inside the mobile building on the left of this image. About four hours before launch, the building will roll away to reveal the complete rocket inside.
The fairing (a nose cone that splits into two parts after launch) sits on top of the rocket’s fourth stage. The fairing will protect Smile during its ascent to space through Earth’s atmosphere. Almost five minutes after liftoff, the fairing will open, revealing Smile inside. At that point, Smile will still be attached to the third and fourth stages of the Vega-C.
Find out more about Smile’s journey from launch to orbit
Find out more about the Vega launch site
Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Vega-C programme is led by ESA, working with Avio as prime contractor and design authority. It ensures that Europe has versatile and independent access to space.
[Image description: A photo showing a lorry driving along a narrow road with a large rocket nose cone standing upright on its trailer. Ahead of the lorry (to the left in this image) is a tall rectangular cream-coloured building, which has the ESA and Vega logos on its side. The building is surrounded by metal pylons.]
Credits: ESA-M. Pédoussaut
europeanspaceagency posted a photo:
Inside this Vega-C rocket fairing is the Smile spacecraft, ready to meet the rest of the rocket that will take it into space.
Smile is due to launch on 19 May 2026. Preparations are taking place on the launch pad, with the rocket already built up and waiting inside the mobile building seen in the background of this image. About four hours before launch, the building will roll away to reveal the complete rocket inside.
Vega-C is made up of four stages, with the fairing (a nose cone that splits into two after launch) sitting on top of the fourth stage. The fairing will protect Smile during its ascent to space through Earth’s atmosphere. Almost five minutes after liftoff, the fairing will split open, revealing Smile inside. At that point, Smile will still be attached to the third and fourth stages of the Vega-C.
Find out more about Smile’s journey from launch to orbit
Find out more about the Vega launch site
Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Vega-C programme is led by ESA, working with Avio as prime contractor and design authority. It ensures that Europe has versatile and independent access to space.
[Image description: A photo showing the nose cone of a rocket hanging from a crane in front of an open technical building. Inside the building stands the rest of the rocket, with a platform at the top where people stand, waiting for the nose cone to arrive.]
Credits: ESA/CNES/Avio/Optique vidéo du CSG–S. Martin
Diplomatic efforts continuing despite fighting in and around contested strait of Hormuz in recent days
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said that Washington is expecting a response from Iran on Friday to its proposals for an interim deal to end the conflict in the Middle East, as Iran accused the US of breaching the increasingly fragile ceasefire announced last month.
In recent days there have been the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the contested strait of Hormuz since the informal truce began. The rise in violence followed Donald Trump’s announcement – then rapid pause – of a new naval mission aimed at opening the strategic waterway.
Continue reading...David Attenborough has spent more than seven decades bringing the natural world into our living rooms, becoming one of the first truly recognisable faces on television.
From his seminal 1950s series Zoo Quest to the groundbreaking Life on Earth documentaries of the 80s and 90s, and more recently his hard hitting explorations of the climate crisis, including Ocean, Attenborough has left an indelible mark on film and TV
Happy centenary, David! Attenborough’s 100 most spectacular TV moments
‘A true pinch-me moment’: memories of David Attenborough as he turns 100
Fast-tracked redesign will reduce electrical energy use
Max Verstappen has been a vocal critic of new engines
Formula One has agreed to make engine design changes for the 2027 season in response to the unhappiness of many leading drivers at the way this year’s new-generation engines have affected how they race.
At a meeting on Friday, the FIA, F1, teams and engine manufacturers reached an agreement, subject to formal approval, to fast-track changes to the regulations to allow fresh engines to be used next season.
Continue reading...
