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.

In a series of tweets posted early Saturday morning, the man in charge of the Russian space agency Roscosmos said the country’s cooperation with other nations aboard the International Space Station will not be restored until “illegal sanctions” from the U.S., Canada, European Union and Japan on Russia are lifted.

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 – 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. The agency's 22 member states elected Aschbacher to be ESA's director general succeeding Jan Woerner, whose term ends on June 30. The European Space Agency has lately begun discussing involvement in crewed missions beyond Earth's orbit, such as a possible return-to-the-Moon mission with NASA.

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.