Aerial view of ESTEC's facilities

ESTEC is a European Space Agency establishment located in Noordwijk, (Netherlands).

Whatever the mission, be it manned or unmanned, for scientific research, applications or space transportation, a spacecraft and its payload must be able to withstand, first of all, the extreme stresses caused by the mechanical vibrations and the acoustic noise which occur during the launch phase, and, once in orbit, the rigours of the space environment. There is only one way of making sure of this: every single element of the vehicle and the instruments it is carrying must prove to be space worthy and must, therefore, be tested on Earth under conditions simulating those it will meet in space. ESTEC's Test Centre facilities do just that.