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Near Mars’ south pole, this «raspberry color» isn’t a filter.

The Thyles Rupes captured by ESA’s Mars Express HRSC camera: an ice cliff that hugs the pole, where violet, pink, and red are stirred together. The darker bands are iron-rich and magnesium-rich minerals spewed out by volcanoes; in the lighter areas there’s also carbon dioxide frost that won’t melt even through summer. Across the whole region, the raspberry-purple hue is mostly a layered effect of morning light, dust, and frost.

Image acquired during orbit revolution 27925 on 2026-02-17. From aboard the spacecraft, the sheer scale of this cliff suddenly looms over you.

Photo: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin
#火星 #ESA

Europe’s new-generation meteorological satellite, MTG-I2, has arrived.

Launched on 27 August 2026 from Kourou aboard an Ariane 6 rocket, it completes the initial orbit phase in about 12 days, then settles into a geostationary orbit at roughly 36,000 km over 3.5° East longitude, joining MTG-I1 and MTG-S1. Around 8 September, it is handed over to EUMETSAT for in-orbit calibration; once the full constellation is fully operational, rapid scanning is expected to achieve a refresh rate of about every 2.5 minutes. Operational services are expected in the second quarter of 2027.

#太空 #气象卫星 #ESA

At a glance: In a single pass by Mars Express, over 30 ongoing dust devils are outlined in the Mummers Valley.

The HRSC images released by ESA on 2026-06-17 come from orbit 26423 on 2024-12-07 (about 20 meters/pixel). The multi-channel shutters capture sequential moments; since the ground is stationary, the frames can be aligned. When a dust devil shifts, yellow points with pink trailing light appear, and its direction and speed can also be inferred. These vortices can reach heights of roughly 8 kilometers, with speeds on the order of about 160 kilometers per hour—small engines for lifting dust.

Two sources: ESA Mars Express + DLR/FU Berlin HRSC press release. Cropped from the original image with official labels.

#火星 #ESA

Instant conclusion: ESA’s 《2026 Space Environment Report》 shows that, extrapolating from current launch behavior, the expectation for near-Earth orbital objects and collision risk is rising sharply. The health index jumps from about 4 to about 50 within a year, and long-term stress worsens by an order of magnitude.

According to ESA’s definitions (data through end of 2025; report page 2026-09-14):
In 2025, there were more than 300 launches, placing over 4,000 payloads into orbit. On average, about 10 new payloads are put into orbit per day, while more than 3 complete spacecraft or rocket bodies re-enter the atmosphere per day. The long-term extrapolation window for objects larger than 10 cm is reduced from 200 years to 100 years, and the curve remains clearly higher than in the previous year. The report states that simply preventing new debris is no longer sufficient; active debris removal is required.

#太空碎片 #ESA