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 topic
On 1 July 2012, ESA astronaut André Kuipers, NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko returned to Earth in their Soyuz capsule. It marks the end of PromISSe, the fourth ESA long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station.
The B roll includes images of their farewell ceremony in the ISS with hatch closure and then undocking, followed by the Soyuz capsule landing with the crew disembarking as well as comments from André Kuipers and Thomas Reiter, the Director of Human Spaceflight.
More background information can be found on: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/PromISSe/index.html