2014: Ever further into outer space

2014 started with spacecraft Gaia reaching its final destination: Lagrange point L2. It arrived on January 8 to this fixed location within our solar system - 1.5 million kilometers (almost 1 million miles) from Earth. From there, Gaia will measure and map the Milky Way in great detail - and is expected to find about a billion new stars in the process.

On January 20, the biggest space adventure of the year started when an alarm went off to awaken Rosetta. The spacecraft had been hibernating for 957 days while traveling to the outer reaches of the solar System. As it got closer to the sun, its batteries were recharged through its solar panels. On August 5, Rosetta reached its target: orbit of comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko, also known as Chury.

On April 3, radar imaging satellite Sentinel-1A began providing detailed geo-data to scientists, commercial users and the broader public. In the coming years, five more sentinel satellites will join the effort - each equipped with different sensors. Together, they will be able to identify planetary changes such as plant growth, tectonic movements, and floods or fire.

Space telescope Kepler discovered an earth-like planet 490 light years away - too far for a quick visit. Kepler 186-F is located in the "Goldilocks zone": not too hot and not too cold, and which could potentially hold liquid water - a precondition for life. But whether or not water actually exists on that planet remains a mystery. US scientists published their findings April 18 in "Science."

Geologist Alexander Gerst took off to the International Space Station (ISS) May 28. Here, he is seen during a spacewalk with his US colleague Reid Wiseman on October 7. Gerst spent half a year at the ISS - beside numerous scientific experiments, he managed to find the time to keep up with fans and supporters through social media, and even gave a live lecture to junior high school students.

Work on the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) began with a bang on June 19 - the European Southern Observatory flattened a mountaintop in the Chilean Atacama Desert for its newest facility. It will be located in the middle of a protected area with hardly any light pollution - perfect conditions for stargazing.

Private space company Orbital Science experienced a tough year as its cargo craft Cygnus was blown up during Antares rocket ignition on October 28. Beside Space-X - with its successful cargo ship Dragon - Orbital Science is the second private operator delivering cargo to the ISS for NASA. The blast, however, caused no shortages on the ISS.

Rosetta had been circling comet Chury ever closer since August, providing detailed pictures and chemical analyses from its sensors. Scientists cautiously observed as Rosetta released its lander Philae November 12. But Philae bounced, keeping everyone in suspense. The hope now is that Philae will receive new solar power and deliver fresh data as Chury approaches the sun.

Just before the Christmas season, the ESA council gave its go-ahead for Ariane 6 - pictured above - along with the smaller Vega rocket. Approved on December 2, both are slimmer and more flexible than current workhorse Ariane 5.

Orion is the successor to the NASA space shuttles. The craft looks similar to - albeit much bigger than - the Apollo spaceships. It could bring humans to the moon, or even one day into orbit around Mars and back. The ESA will be responsible for the service module, including its essential life-support system. Orion successfully completed its first test flight December 5.