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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ATV's particulate control team follows common ‘Space Station Programme’ requirements detailing the acceptable conditions of habitable internal ISS surfaces as well as air quality. Checking surfaces comes down to close-up visual inspection to a set distance and angle, backed up by bright lighting, to ensure they are contamination-free to a set ‘visibly clean – sensitive’ level. Crucial outside surfaces are checked to an equivalent level, including all optical instruments – such as laser range finders as well as star trackers – onboard thrusters and the docking system with ISS: any layer of dust might prevent a solid seal from forming. This image shows the visual inspection of the ATV-4 interior.