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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Aerial view of the Booster Integration Building (BIP), the facility for the integration of the Ariane-5 solid booster stage at Europes Spaceport, near Kourou, French Guiana. This 53-m-tall facility receives fully loaded forward booster segments from Italy while the larger central and aft segments are loaded at the nearby Guiana Propellant Plant (UPG). In the BIP, the segments are mated together and the booster's nozzle, and the non-propulsive elements of the booster (nose cone, skirts, avionics) are added. The completed boosters are then transferred to the booster storage building (BSE) where they are kept until the launch campaign begins.