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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To investigate the human factors of a Mars mission, ESA teamed up with the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems to send a crew of six on a 520-day simulated roundtrip to Mars.
The simulation followed the mission profile of a real Mars mission, including an exploration phase on the planet’s surface.
The crew took care of themselves for almost two years during the roundtrip to Mars, experiencing extreme isolation and confinement. A communications delay of 40 minutes was added, as on a real mission.