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!
NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg (left), cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano (right) trying the Russian Sokol suit at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
Luca, Karen and Fyodor are the Soyuz TMA-07M back-up crew, the prime crew will be launched to the International Space Station in December 2012.
Luca is assigned engineer on a long duration mission to the International Space Station planned for 2013.