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 Samantha Cristoforetti (IT) flew on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, on its fourth crewed operational flight called Crew-4, launched in April 2022. She flew with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Jessica Watkins and Robert Hines.
Expedition 68 began with the departure of Soyuz MS-21 on 22 September 2022. Samantha Cristoforetti took over as ISS commander. Initially, the expedition consisted of Cristoforetti and her three Crew-4 as well as cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and US astronaut Francisco Rubio, who launched aboard Soyuz MS-22 on 21 September 2022 and were transferred from Expedition 67 alongside the Crew-4 astronauts. Crew-4 departed from the Space Station in 13 October.
The Expedition 68 patch features seven sparkling stars in the vastness of space, representing crewmembers and experts on the ground. Bright sunbeams illuminate the Station, a platform for scientific research, Earth and astronomical observation, education, as well as development of new technologies necessary for the exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, on the Moon and Mars.