ESA Explores – ESA missions return to science by European Space Agency

After a brief shutdown of science instruments and a period in ‘safe standby’, ESA’s planetary missions are getting back to what they do best – gathering science data from around the Solar System.

We speak to Paolo Ferri, Head of Mission Operations at ESA’s mission control centre in Germany, and Markus Kissler-Patig, Head of Science and Operations at the Agency’s ESAC Astronomy Centre in Spain.

Paolo and Markus discuss the extraordinary and challenging times facing teams on the ground, the return to science for four key missions, and what it is like to make key decisions about the safety of their workforce and Europe’s fleet of space explorers in light of a global pandemic.