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
Go to topicThe International Space Station has been manned since the Expedition One Crew were launched on the 02 November 2000. The Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy will delay activities on the ISS but the programme will go on. A considerable amount of research has in fact been done in space and will continue to be done and it is important that human beings and not just robots go into space both because robots cannot do some of the tasks and for medical research For Europe, in particular, the Columbus laboratory will be an enormous opportunity to make a quantic jump in space science.Main fields of research will be human fisiology, biology, material and liquids science.