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 topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
The BepiColombo spacecraft, Europe’s first mission to Mercury, is keeping cool before launch in the equatorial heat of ESA’s spaceport in French Guiana. After arriving in May from ESA’s technical Centre in The Netherlands, the spacecraft has been undergoing a series of ongoing pre-launch health checks. These include mechanical, electrical and propulsion subsystems checks, testing the deployment of its solar panels, and covering the spacecraft in a multi-layered insulation blanket to protection against solar and planetary radiation.
The A and B-roll includes interviews with Hajime Hayakawa, BepiColombo Project Manager, JAXA (English and Japanese); Ulrich Reininghaus, Bepicolombo Project Manager, ESA (English and German); Bernard Guillaume, BepiColombo Assembly Integration and Verification, ESA (French and Dutch, B-roll only).