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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ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti returned from her second mission to the International Space Station, known as ‘Minerva’, on Friday 14 October 2022, splashing down in Crew Dragon Freedom in the Gulf of Mexico.
Minerva lasted 170 days, during which Samantha became the first European woman and the fifth European Space Station commander, conducted her first spacewalk, outfitting the European Robotic Arm, and supported numerous European and many more international experiments in microgravity.
From healthcare to materials science, these experiments covered a wide range of disciplines to build our capability to explore beyond our own planet and improve life on Earth.
You can read more about the areas of research Samantha facilitated here.
For a more in-depth overview of Samantha’s Minerva mission, visit our dedicated Minerva mission page.