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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The International Space Station as it will appear when assembly is completed in 2003. ESA is contributing the Columbus Orbital Facility and will help to resupply the Station using its new Ariane-5 equipped with the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).The artist's view shows the Station seen from the side carrying the Russian research modules. ESA's ATV, carrying a pressurised module, is docked at top left. In this configuration, the ATV is capable of raising the Station to a higher altitude. This reboost will be performed every 3 months in order to compensate for atmospheric drag. The photo also shows a Crew Rescue Vehicle (CRV) docked to the vertical US module and a Soyuz-TM docked to a Russian module. NASA is studying the CRV scenario through the X-38 programme. The possibility of ESA's cooperating with NASA on a lifting body, derived from their X-38 demonstration programme, is under study. [Image Date: 01-06-97] [97.06.021-002]