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!
Behind the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 36/37 Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency plants a tree in his name in a traditional ceremony, 22 May, 2013, as backup crewmates Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (left) and Mikhail Tyurin (hidden) look on, along with prime Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin (third from right), backup crew member Rick Mastracchio of NASA (second from right) and prime Flight Engineer Karen Nyberg of NASA (far right).
Nyberg, Yurchikhin and Parmitano are preparing for their launch, 29 May, 2013, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft to begin a six-month mission on the International Space Station.