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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At Europe’s largest ship hull test facility, 100 km west of Paris, ESA ATV engineers with Astrium ST assistance, here in front of their PC screens, are running numerous simulations of the ATV rendezvous scheduled next year with the ISS. All aspects of the spacecraft for the orbital rendezvous are either represented for real – aft end of the ISS (in the background), sensors, software, trajectories – or simulated such as Jules Verne's inertia, thruster firings.