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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Private astronauts Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner, part of Axiom Space's Crew-2, visited the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) near Cologne, Germany, in February 2023 to receive training by ESA instructors for their upcoming journey to the International Space Station in May 2023.
To complete the four-member crew, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Alqarni who are both representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be serving as mission specialists on the Axiom Mission 2.
The crew is pictured inside the training mock-up of the European Columbus laboratory module at EAC.