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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ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli (IT) is assigned to fly on the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft to the International Space Station, scheduled for May 2017 and as part of Expedition 52/53, with Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Ryazansky and NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik. Expedition 53 begins with the scheduled undocking of Soyuz MS-04 in September 2017. The two new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on Soyuz MS-06, joining the rest of Expedition 52 on the Station, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin.
The Soyuz MS-05 crew patch was designed in competition organised by Roscosmos. The winning design of Anastasia Timofeyeva was chosen from ore than 700 submissions. Finalised by designer Luc van den Abeelen, the patch features a nose-on view of the spacecraft, as it prepares to dock with the International Space Station, with the Roscosmos logo just above it.
In a protruding circle, the Greek god of the northern wind Boreas is shown, as this name is the call sign for the spaceship's crew. In the foreground, the navigational device of the docking cross is shown, as seen by the crew during the link-up with the orbital facility. The constellation of Scorpion is shown in the background, as a reference to the spaceship commander's star sign. Three stars in the background symbolise the crew members, whose names are shown in the border, with the corresponding national flags next to them.