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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Entire spacecraft are checked inside the ESTEC Test Centre. A test model of the Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module of ESA’s 2016 ExoMars mission subjected to a series of intense shaker tests to simulate a rocket launch. ESTEC’s Test Centre is the largest centre of its kind in Europe; one of the largest in the world. A set of state-of-the-art test facilities are located under a single roof, all within ‘cleanroom’ conditions comparable to a hospital operating theatre to protect delicate spacecraft subsystems.