Low Earth orbit is changing. With the International Space Station (ISS) approaching the later years of its life, new commercial destinations emerging and Europe investing in future transportation capabilities, a new chapter is beginning in orbit.

In this episode of ESA Explores, we speak with ESA astronaut and Head of the Human Exploration Department Andreas Mogensen about why low Earth orbit still matters, what comes after the ISS and how Europe is preparing for its future in space.

This is the first episode in a three-part series exploring Europe’s future in low Earth orbit, on the Moon and on Mars.

This interview was recorded in August 2026.

Keep exploring with ESA Explores!

Go behind the scenes at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, and discover how space experiments are prepared long before they reach orbit. Meet the ECOS team, as Deputy Manager Salvi Verma shares how they work with scientists, engineers and astronauts to turn ideas into real missions aboard the International Space Station. From early planning on the ground to supporting astronauts like ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot during her Epsilon mission, this is how space science becomes reality.

This interview was recorded in March 2026.

Keep exploring with ESA Explores!

Meet the voices astronauts hear in space. At ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, the Eurocom team is the link between crew and ground, guiding astronauts like ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot through their daily work on the International Space Station. Join us as Eurocom expert Andreas Orth explains how complex operations are translated into clear, real-time communication and what it means to be the one voice connecting Earth and orbit.

This interview was recorded in March 2026.

Keep exploring with ESA Explores!