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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Expert is a test spacecraft to obtain flight data used to validate design tools, ground facilities and verify new techniques. Expert will help scientists design future atmospheric missions.
Expert will be launched from a Russian submarine on a Volna rocket and will land in the Kamchatka Peninsula. It's initial reentry speed will be 5 km/s, with a flight path angle of -5.5 at an altitude of 100 km.
The entry will resemble conditions that can be simulated by European test facilities such as plasma and wind tunnels. The data from the test facilities can be compared with Expert's flight.