European Space Agency Podcasts

Most podcast encounters with the European Space Agency arrive sideways: through a mission, an astronaut, or a wider discussion of Europe’s ambitions in space. Sustained treatment is rare. One show offers a direct route; elsewhere, listeners should expect the agency to be one participant in a larger story.

Inside the astronaut programme

ESA Explores provides the clearest starting point. Its “Astro Chat” episodes foreground the people entering the astronaut programme, including ESA's Astronaut Reserve: Astro Chat with Carmen Possnig, ESA's Astronaut Reserve: Astro Chat with Arnaud Prost, and ESA astronaut class of 2022: Astro Chat with Marco Sieber and Claude Nicollier. For a more practical angle, Road to the stars: Training for the Moon at LUNA turns toward preparation and training.

Missions in the news

For brisk, technically detailed reporting, SpaceTime with Stuart Gary places European work inside its science-news flow. Reconnecting with Proba 3: Europe's Solar Mission Resumes is the most focused entry here: a specific mission, explained as a developing story rather than an institutional portrait.

Naked Astronomy, from the Naked Scientists offers another mission-led route through Europe leads the space station. The broader episode list ranges from Mission to Europa to Perseverance on Mars, so European activity appears within general space exploration rather than as a standing beat.

Ambition, policy, and the Moon

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science is the warmer, interview-led choice. The 18th European Space Conference: Dreaming of European boots on the Moon frames European space activity through aspiration and public discussion.

For a more sober policy register, All Things Policy approaches lunar exploration through Artemis II and Return To The Moon. BBC Inside Science offers an accessible companion in Return to the moon, while How is war being fought in space? widens the frame beyond exploration.

Where to start

Begin with ESA Explores for astronaut-centred conversations. Choose SpaceTime with Stuart Gary for a compact mission update, or Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science for the wider European conversation. Beyond those, expect useful mentions rather than a comprehensive guide to the agency.

Featured shows below are part of the PlayNext catalog. Updated weekly.