The Open University

BepiColombo swings by Mercury for the final time

9 January 2025

On 8 January 2025, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission flew past Mercury for the sixth time, successfully completing the final ‘gravity assist manoeuvre’ needed to steer it into orbit around the planet in late 2026. As with BepiColombo’s previous flybys, the spacecraft’s monitoring cameras (M-CAMs) did not disappoint. “Wonderful to see” David Rothery (Professor of Planetary Geosciences) […]

OU scientist to help define the science strategy for the next Japanese Mars mission

24 October 2023

Juan Alday, a scientist in the Atmospheric Research and Surface Exploration research group at The Open University (OU), has been appointed by the European Space Agency (ESA) as a member of the Science Strategy Team for Mars Science of JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration mission (MMX). The MMX mission will launch in September 2024 and is […]

Mission accomplished! Scientist’s joy at being handpicked for European Space Agency role

20 June 2023

An Open University scientist has been handpicked by the European Space Agency (ESA) and offered a Fellowship to continue her studies into how the surface of Mars is shaped by wind. Dr Elena Favaro is a postdoctoral research assistant at the OU who specialises in aeolian geomorphology – the process by which wind contributes to […]

From Army veteran to space scientist

3 October 2022

When Open University graduate Ian Muirhead isn’t searching for moons and exoplanets, he’s inspiring the next generation of space scientists to reach for the stars. It’s a career he never dreamed possible when he left school at 15 without any qualifications. Over 20 years’ on and Ian tells us he couldn’t be happier making the […]

OU receives grant to develop pioneering analytical centre

19 July 2022

The OU is to receive £750k to develop the Wolfson Analytical Centre, a world-class research facility with an initial focus on planetary, environmental and space sciences. The first project ‘The Environmental Boundaries of Life’, will bring together academic expertise to ask one of our most fundamental questions: are life and habitable environments unique to Earth? […]

How to grow plants on the moon – OU expert’s view of new study

13 May 2022

Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at The Open University writes for The Conversation on the impact of new findings that reveal why plants don’t thrive in lunar habitats. What do you need to make your garden grow? As well as plenty of sunshine alternating with gentle showers of rain – and busy bees and […]

‘Metal clouds and rain made of liquid gems’ – new research into exoplanet atmosphere

21 February 2022

A group of astronomers, including Joanna Barstow from The Open University and experts from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA), have examined the atmosphere of a ‘hot Jupiter’ exoplanet, discovering how water changes physical state between day and night. Using the Hubble Space Telescope, an international collaboration of scientists led by Thomas Mikal-Evans from […]

OU wins UK Space Agency funding to grow regional space activity

2 February 2022

The Open University (OU) is one of 10 organisations to be given a boost from UK Space Agency’s (UKSA) regional funding package. The funding comes after the Government published its landmark Levelling Up White Paper, exploring how new policy interventions can improve opportunity and boost livelihoods across the country as we recover from the pandemic. […]

New theory about alien life subject of latest bitesize video for BBC Ideas

8 December 2021

A brand new short film is now available to view on the award-winning BBC Ideas website called Are We Thinking About Alien Life All Wrong? With the OU’s Dr Mark Fox-Powell providing academic consultancy, Professor Brian Cox explains the ‘panspermia’ theory – how alien life could spread around the Universe. This new theory, which has […]

OU scientist showing how application of space technology can help the global climate crisis

2 November 2021

It’s called technology transfer, when innovations in one field are used with a different goal than the original purposes – often in a different industry. Space technology must meet high standards, needs to be reliable and failure-proof and that’s why OU space scientist Dr Geraint ‘Taff’ Morgan has been invited on an interdisciplinary panel of […]

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