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!
The Soyuz launch site is almost identical to the other Soyuz sites in Kazakhstan and Russia. The most visible difference is the 45 m-tall mobile gantry, which protects the satellites and the launcher from the humid tropical environment and provides access to the Soyuz at various levels for checkout activities. It is rolled back to its parked position, 80 m from the pad, about an hour before launch.
Soyuz VS03, the third Soyuz flight from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, will lift off on 12 October 2012. The rocket will carry two satellites of Europe’s Galileo navigation system into orbit.