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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This image was captured during a dynamic balancing test of the ExoMars 2022 descent module. The image is slightly blurred because the module is spinning. (Click here for movie). Inside the descent module is the Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok surface platform that will fly to Mars.
The dynamic balancing test is necessary to ensure the spacecraft is perfectly balanced when spinning in space.
The tests were conducted in the anechoic chamber in Thales Alenia Space’s facilities in Cannes, France. The cleanroom conditions provide a controlled environment to prevent contamination, and where temperature, pressure, humidity and dust concentration are all continuously monitored and recorded.