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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Cosmonaut Oleg Kotov as Expedition 22 flight engineer during a spacewalk to maintain the International Space Station.
During the spacewalk, Kotov and colleague prepared the Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM2), known as Poisk, for future Russian vehicle dockings
Oleg Kotov is a Colonel in the Russian air force and a specialist in space medicine. During his early career as a physician, he worked on altitude physiology and how spaceflight affects the human body.
The 47-year-old cosmonaut has two long-duration missions on the Space Station under his belt. He was flight engineer for Expedition 15 in 2007, and commander on Expedition 23 in 2010. During that mission, a Progress vehicle failed to adopt the proper attitude while it was approaching the Station, so Oleg took manual control and guided the spacecraft to dock with the Station, a first for a Progress docking.