About ESA
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.
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Space in Member States
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Germany
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Spain
Estonia
Finland
France
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Norway
The Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Czechia
Romania
United Kingdom
Slovenia
Sweden
Switzerland
Science & Exploration
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicAstronauts
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Enabling & Support
Making space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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White space science
The Franco-Italian Antarctic research base of Concordia sits 1670 km from the South Pole. On the plateau some 3200 m high, the air is so thin that inhabitants live in a permanent state of hypoxia – lack of oxygen. The closest humans are 600 km away at Russia’s Vostok base. Average temperatures range from –30°C in the summer months to –60°C in the winter.
The ‘winterover’ crew who stay during the long cold winter to conduct research do not see the Sun rise above the horizon for four months. The crew learn to cope and live with the threats of cold, darkness, monotony, danger and no possibility of rescue.
Each year, ESA sponsors a research medical doctor for a year to run experiments on the rest of the crew of 15. There are few other places on Earth that resemble the isolation and extreme climate astronauts will endure on other planets – an opportunity for ESA to test technology and learn how humans behave in close quarters.
Research looks into how a multicultural team works together and functions under long, monotonous stress. From flying simulated spacecraft to monitoring sleep and analysing speech patterns with computers, each aspect that could hinder an astronaut far from home is being investigated to prepare for humanity’s exploration beyond Earth.
