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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With the statue of Vladimir Lenin serving as a backdrop, Expedition 36/37 Flight Engineer Karen Nyberg of NASA (left), Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin (center) and Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency answer questions from reporters May 16 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.
The activity marked the departure of the crew for their launch site at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final preparations for their launch May 29, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft and the start of a six-month mission on the International Space Station.