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
Go to topicBorn in 1968, Marc Cornelissen completed his studies in 1995 at the Technical University in Delft in the Netherlands, after which he decided to start a career as a professional adventurer and expedition organiser. He has experience in making expeditions into many remote regions. His projects have taken him to the Peruvian cloud forests, the Gibson Desert of Australia, and more often than not, to the Earth's polar regions. He is one of the few who has reached both the Geographic North and South Pole on skis (in 1997 and 2000 respectively).