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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In the Assembly building at the Russian cosmodrome in Baikonur, on 4 December 2010, the crew of Soyuz TMA-20 (Dmitry Kondratyev, Paolo Nespoli, Cady Coleman) walks toward the vehicle wearing their Sokol space suits and carrying a box that contains a fan. Today they are doing the first fit-check, to make sure that things inside the spacecraft are properly configured. They will also do a communication check, to make sure that the prime and backup radio work.
Paolo Nespoli, ESA's Italian astronaut, will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on 15 December for a long-duration mission called MagISStra and serve as flight engineer for Expeditions 26 and 27. This will be the third six-month mission by a European astronaut on the Station.