The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Re-entry is the make or break moment for spacecraft. It's the time when satellites burn up and astronauts hold on for the ride of their lives. A new ESA spacecraft, called IXV, will be launched into space in November 2014 in a bid to feed precious new data to engineers as they try to master the difficult transition between space and planet Earth. In this episode of Euronews Space, IXV programme manager Giorgio Tumino shows us around the spacecraft, while rarely-seen archive footage brings the heat, drama and danger of re-entry to life.