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A closer look at the European Space Agency

Since the dawn of time, humanity has tried to overcome any boundary it found. European Space Agency (ESA) wants to accelerate the use of space, the furthest limit humans know. We looked at the land we could bear with our eyes and decided to go further. We found bodies of water – we went across. We finally reached an earthly limit, so we started looking upwards. Now, the infinity of space fascinates and frightens.  

Aerospace engineering created unbounded possibilities. Humanity saw the first black-and-white pictures of Earth from outer space, gasped at solar panels, relied on GPS usage, and witnessed the first man on the moon in the second half of the 20th century. Now those achievements sound trivial, but at the start of that century, they were just impossible ideas in the heads of SF writers. Software development and technological advancements made it all achievable. 

Looking back in time at European Space Agency

Europe started its journey to space in 1962. The European Launch Development Organization (ELDO) and the European Space Research Organization (ESRO) had different tasks. Still, they were just as relevant to the development of Europe’s space endeavors. Thirteen years later, they merged and formed the European Space Agency (ESA). 

Thanks to the many technological advances in ground-space communication, we can now see what only telescope technology can. Humans can touch back in time to the start of galaxies with the technology they used for the Plank project. ESA gathered a series of images that could show us how clusters of galaxies looked when the Universe was only three billion years old. 

Image is the universal language of space, so AROBS Engineering developed the first multicore implementation for spacecraft onboard image compression for ESA. Satellites are the first form of contact with outer space. This critical data must be efficiently processed, and we managed just that. 

What has ESA unveiled from the depths of space

“They (ESA) achieved an extraordinary level of precision in measuring the oldest light in the Universe,” as The Royal Astronomical Society states – a statement that doesn’t comprise the true power of ESAs achievements. Their work enabled scientists to study more than 13.8 billion years of history. The Universe has never been this mapped before. 

They reached Saturn’s Moon, Titan, and other various comets, then orbited the Red Planet with Mars express. They will arrive on Mercury in 2025 with Bepicolombo. 

Besides all the other ambitious projects, one shortly promises to help with a better understanding of the most mysterious element of space, dark matter. Euclid’s mission is to look back over the last 10 billion years and study dark matter and dark energy, helping observe how the Universe expanded and the secrets they hold.  

Why is aerospace exploration beneficiary for life on Earth

Software development for space endeavors has always pushed life on Earth to a higher standard. Infrared was primarily used to map out distant stars; now, we use it for night vision, thermal imaging, and heat sensors to fight against wildfires. Reaching many destinations would be less efficient without GPS.  

Many of the missions ESA focus on life on Earth. They had various projects that focused on technology for telecommunications, polar-ice measurements, climate, mapping Earth’s gravity, analyzing magnetic and wind fields, etc. 

At AROBS, our software engineering expertise extends from Earth to Space. We can develop reliable systems with Space and Avionics Certification, ensuring your aerospace project a smooth takeoff. 

Photo: ESA; Photo: ESA/Cluster; Image: ESA/NASA-S.Cristoforetti

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