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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The Canadarm2 of the International Space Station in front of Earth captured on 2 December 2023 by ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen. When Andreas shared the picture on social media, he said:
"Micrometeorites and space debris, while creating beautiful shooting stars upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, pose a genuine threat to the ISS and satellites. Recently, a micrometeorite struck the Nauka science module’s external radiator, causing a leak of 72 liters of coolant and as a result, cancelled our spacewalk due to concerns about spacesuit contamination from the coolant. My spacewalk is tentatively planned for January or February next year.
I recently saw the destructive power of impacts when photographing the space station’s robotic arm. It looks quite dramatic! The hole was made in 2021, where a 1 mm object, traveling at over 25,000 km/h relative to the Space Station hit the robotic arm. Fortunately, no critical components were damaged.
If such an impact hits a pressurized module, depressurization could occur. Most of the modules have shielding against smaller impacts, but it is not strong enough to withstand impacts against larger ones. This is why we repeatedly practice emergency scenarios, including depressurization."
Visit Huginn mission page to learn more about Andreas' mission.