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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The Russian inter-departmental commission approving the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft prime and backup crews at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre, Russia, on 30 November 2012.
Front, left to right: back-up crew consisting of NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano. Back, left to right: prime crew consisting of cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield and NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn.
The prime crew will be launched on the Soyuz TMA-07M 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.