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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After five months in space working on over 50 experiments, helping with the docking of three spacecraft and an intense return flight, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano is still full of energy just after his landing in Kazakhstan.
Luca, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and cosmonaut commander Fyodor Yurchikhin landed at 02:49 GMT on 11 November 2013 in the same Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft that flew them to the International Space Station on 29 May.
Following medical checks, Luca and Karen flew to Houston for debriefing and to recuperate from the effects of living in weightlessness, while scientists continue to observe them for their experiments.