What do a wedding necklace, Polish savory dumplings and a photo of Hungary’s first astronaut have in common.

The European Space Agency has added five new members to its astronaut corps.

The European Space Agency chief says he wants to rebuild Europe’s access to space following the botched launch of a European rocket carrying two Earth observation satellites last year and the delayed introduction of the Ariane 6 launcher.

The head of the European Space Agency says Russia's invasion of Ukraine highlights the need for the continent to become less dependent on other nations.

The world's largest and most powerful space telescope has blasted off on a high-stakes quest to behold light from the first stars and galaxies.

FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 19, 2016 file photo Josef Aschbacher attends a press conference in Rome, Italy. The European Space Agency said Thursday that Josef Aschbacher, an Austrian scientist who leads its Earth observation program, has been appointed as the organization's next head. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, file)BERLIN – Austrian scientist Josef Aschbacher has been appointed to head the European Space Agency as the organization grapples with the fallout from Brexit and the rise of commercial rivals outside of Europe. The agency's 22 member states elected Aschbacher, who leads ESA's Earth observation program, to succeed current director general Jan Woerner when his term ends on June 30, 2021. Nineteen of the agency's member states are part of the European Union, while Switzerland, Norway and — since this year — Britain are not.

In this Nov. 3, 2020 photo, provide by the European Space Agency, the Sentinel-6 satellite is placed inside the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket. The joint European-U.S. satellite mission to improve measurements of sea level rise is being launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Saturday Nov. 22, 2020. “This is an extremely important parameter for climate monitoring,” said Josef Aschbacher, the European Space Agency's director of Earth observation. The European Space Agency this week lamented the loss of two satellites when a European-built carrier rocket veered off course shortly after launch. “We owe him a lot and he more than deserves to have this satellite named after him,” said Aschbacher.

Using data from 17 satellites, three space agencies have created a website that serves as a global dashboard for temporary changes observed from orbit. The European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and NASA Thursday unveiled the Earth Observing Dashboard at eodashboard.org. But now those pollution levels are rising again because cars are back on the road and industry has started up in Europe, Aschbacher said. Pollution levels are going down in South America and may be heading down again with a virus rebound in China, said NASA scientist Ken Jucks. This is the beauty of the dashboard, Aschbacher said.