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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Preparing the practical test of the proposed Asteroid Impact Mission's navigation camera, which was one of the spectacles shown to the visiting public at the Sunday 4 October ESTEC Open Day.
The Comau robotic arm seen here is holding the navigation camera next to a spinning model of the Didymos double asteroid system, the target of the Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM).
The output of the camera was shown on screen as the robotic arm moved in three dimensions, simulating the movement of the AIM spacecraft relative to the two asteroids.
The experiment was performed by ESA's Guidance, Navigation and Control section and the Agency's Automation and Robotics section.