NASA, ESA, Other Space Agencies Mourn the Passing of Queen Elizabeth II

Space agencies all over the world are honoring the great Queen Elizabeth II, who peacefully passed on Thursday.

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA) are joining the world in mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom's longest-serving monarch. The Queen, who has served on the British throne since 1952, died peacefully at Balmoral Castle on Thursday at the age of 96.

"Queen Elizabeth II's reign spanned all of spaceflight, predating both Sputnik and Explorer 1," NASA took to Twitter to share. "As we join the planet in marking her passing, we are moved by the curiosity Her Royal Highness showed our explorers over the years."

Explorer 1 was the first satellite that the US successfully launched in 1958, just months after the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 were launched. NASA's tweet honoring the late Queen Elizabeth II included a photo of her with the Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin after their iconic trip to the moon in 1969.

Queen Elizabeth II's Visits to American Space Centers

In Houston, Texas, NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) also paid tribute to the late queen, sharing photographs of her visit along with her husband, Prince Philip, to the space center back in 1991. Chron reported that the couple personally signed Houston's official visitor's book and visited the Space Center to speak with leaders in the scientific community. The Queen even hosted a private knighting ceremony to honor Cecil H. Green, a British-born American geophysicist who co-founded Texas Instruments Incorporated.

In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, as one of her final stops during a six-day visit to the US. There, she was welcomed by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and Prince Philip was presented with three solar cells taken from space after the HST servicing mission -1 by Hubble Space Telescope Program Manager Preston Burch, NASA reported.

Space Agencies Honor the Late Queen Elizabeth II After Her Passing

The UK Space Agency has also joined the chorus of voices mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II by not only retweeting The Royal Family's announcement and UK Prime Minister Liz Truss' official statement but also by updating their Twitter header photo(opens in new tab) in a tribute to the queen, Space.com reported.

The European Space Agency also took to social media to offer condolences and look back at how Queen Elizabeth II had met with British astronaut Tim Peake, who presented the Queen Majesty with the union flag patch from his space suit used during the Principia mission back in December 2015.

Peake took to Twitter to honor the great queen, describing her as a "remarkable woman" who offered "a lifetime of service and dedication."

Jeff Bezos, who also founded aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company Blue Origin, shared his admiration for the late Queen Elizabeth II, remarking, "I can think of no one who better personified duty."

Related Article: World Leaders Take to Twitter to Express Their Condolences Following Queen Elizabeth II's Death