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 Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft is rolled out by train, on 26 July 2017, from the MIK 112 integration facility to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad 1, in Kazakhstan.
ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik and Russian commander Sergey Ryazansky are set to leave for the International Space Station from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 28 July at 15:41 GMT (17:41 CEST).
Paolo Nespoli is heading to space for a third time. His mission, named the Vita mission, is part of a barter agreement between NASA and Italy’s ASI space agency involving ESA astronauts. Vita stands for Vitality, Innovation, Technology and Ability. In Italian, 'vita' means 'life', reflecting the experiments that Paolo will run and the philosophical notion of living in outer space – one of the most inhospitable places for humans.