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 topicOn its ten-year journey to rendezvous with a comet, ESAs Rosetta probe is visiting home for the third and last time on 13 November. It will be the last of its four planetary gravity assists - in 2007 Rosetta also had a swing-by at Mars - each time picking up speed to reach its final target in 2014. Although a delicate moment for spacecraft controllers, the Earth flyby will be used to test all the science instruments and to make an innovative contribution to the search for water on the Moon. This A & B-Roll describes the Earth flyby, the science observations and the next key moment of the mission including interviews with Rosettas ESA Project Scientist, its principal investigators and the spacecraft controllers.