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 topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
ISS020-E-038322 (5 Sept. 2009) --- The STS-128 and Expedition 20 crewmembers found a few moments on a day between two spacewalk days to pose for some portraits on the International Space Station. The red-clad crewmembers are with STS-128. They include, front row, from the left, astronauts Rick Sturckow, Jose Hernandez and Patrick Forrester; behind them in red, are astronauts Kevin Ford, John "Danny" Olivas, with ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang. At bottom left is Tim Kopra, who joined the station crew in July but now is scheduled to return to Earth in less than a week with the Discovery astronauts. Surrounding the Discovery crew, in clockwise fashion, are the members of Expedition 20 crew, astronaut Nicole Stott, Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk, with cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and astronaut Michael Barratt.