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About ESA

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.

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ESA - United space in Europe

This is ESA ESA facts Member States & Cooperating States Funding Director General Top management For Member State Delegations European vision European Space Policy ESA & EU Responsibility & Sustainability Annual Report Calendar of meetings Corporate news

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ESA Headquarters ESA ESTEC ESA ESOC ESA ESRIN ESA EAC ESA ESAC Europe's Spaceport ESA ESEC ESA ECSAT Brussels Office Washington Office

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Latest

Gaia observes the Milky Way

Enabling & Support

Farewell, Gaia! Spacecraft operations come to an end

27/03/2025 404 views 7 likes

Galaxies in different shapes captured by Euclid

Week in images: 17-21 March 2025

Discover our week through the lens

Press Release N° 24–2024

Science & Exploration

ESA and NASA join forces to land Europe’s rover on Mars

ESA and NASA are consolidating their cooperation on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission with an agreement that ensures important US contributions, such as the launch service, elements of the propulsion system needed for landing on Mars and heater units for the Rosalind Franklin rover.

16/05/2024 4362 views

Space in Member States

Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.

Science & Exploration

Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe

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Programmes

Space Science Human and Robotic Exploration

Astronauts

Sophie Adenot

Pablo Álvarez Fernández

Rosemary Coogan

Samantha Cristoforetti

Alexander Gerst

Raphaël Liégeois

Matthias Maurer

Andreas Mogensen

Luca Parmitano

Thomas Pesquet

Marco Sieber

Missions

Juice Euclid Webb Solar Orbiter BepiColombo Gaia ExoMars Cheops Exoplanet missions More missions

Activities

International Space Station Orion service module Gateway Concordia Caves & Pangaea Benefits

Latest

JADES-GS-z13-1 in the GOODS-S field (NIRCam image)

Science & Exploration

Webb sees galaxy mysteriously clearing fog of early Universe

26/03/2025 969 views 32 likes

Press Release N° 49–2024

Science & Exploration

ESA 3D prints first metal part on the International Space Station

The first metal 3D printer in space, a collaboration between ESA and Airbus, has printed its first metal product on the International Space Station, a breakthrough in crew autonomy for future long-duration exploration missions.

06/09/2024 3177 views

Science & Exploration

Space science from home: resources for children and adults

A selection of activities to pass time and learn more about space science

Space Safety

Protecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit

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About safety and security

Protecting our Pale Blue Dot The story so far Plans for the future

Asteroids

Asteroids and Planetary Defence Asteroid danger explained Flyeye telescope: asteroid detection Hera mission: asteroid deflection Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre

Space junk

About space debris Space debris by the numbers Space Environment Report In space refuelling, refurbishing and removing

Safety from space

Clean Space ecodesign Zero Debris Technologies Space for Earth Supporting Sustainable Development

Space weather

Solar Hazards ESA Vigil: providing solar warning Space Weather Warning Network

Latest

Hera's autonomous surface feature tracking during Mars flyby

Hera asteroid mission tested self-driving technique at Mars

25/03/2025 1138 views 27 likes

James Webb Space Telescope will study asteroid 2024 YR4

Webb will provide a more accurate estimate of the asteroid's size

Applications

Using space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth

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Observing the Earth

Observing the Earth Future EO Copernicus Meteorology Space for our climate Satellite missions

Connectivity

Connectivity and Secure Communications ARTES Moonlight Civil security from space

Satellite navigation

Satellite navigation Galileo EGNOS NAVISP Genesis LEO-PNT

Commercialisation

ESA Commercialisation Gateway Open Space Innovation Platform Business Incubation ESA Space Solutions

Latest

Documents and publications

MetOp-SG documents and publications

146 views 0 likes

Press Release N° 1–2024

Media invitation: Last chance to see the EarthCARE cloud and aerosol satellite in Europe

On 1 February, media representatives have the unique opportunity of seeing the EarthCARE satellite up close in the cleanroom at Airbus facilities in Friedrichshafen, Germany, before the spacecraft is packed up and shipped to California, USA, for a launch scheduled in May.

11/01/2024 4004 views

ESA Φ-week 2021

Register for Φ-week

Enabling & Support

Making space accessible and developing the technologies for the future

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Building missions

Space Engineering and Technology Test centre Laboratories Concurrent Design Facility Preparing for the future Shaping the Future Discovery and Preparation Advanced Concepts Team

Space transportation

Space Transportation Ariane Vega Space Rider Future space transportation Boost! Europe's Spaceport Launches from Europe's Spaceport from 2012

Flying missions

Operations ESA ground stations Ground Systems Engineering

Latest

Gaia observes the Milky Way

Enabling & Support

Farewell, Gaia! Spacecraft operations come to an end

27/03/2025 404 views 7 likes

Juice approaches Earth

Enabling & Support

Blog: Juice's lunar-Earth flyby

Follow for the latest updates as ESA's Jupiter mission swings through the Earth system this summer

Press Release N° 8–2024

Enabling & Support

Call for interest: Ariane 6 launch media events at Europe’s Spaceport

Media representatives are invited to express their interest in attending media events at Europe's Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, for the first flight of Europe's new rocket Ariane 6. Journalists wishing to participate in either or both the pre-launch and launch media programmes detailed below, are asked to submit their application via ESA’s media accreditation page by Friday 1 March 2024.

19/02/2024 2402 views

Science & Exploration

Facts and figures

18153 views 1 likes

ESA / Science & Exploration / Human and Robotic Exploration / EXPERT

Expert Mission Summary
Mission objectives	Measurement of critical aerothermodynamic phenomena during the hypersonic flight of an atmospheric reentry vehicle, for comparison with computer analytical and wind/plasma tunnel test predictions.
Reference payloads	Flush Air Data System Pyrometric Instrumentation for Nose Heating Laminar to Turbulent Transition Characterisation (natural transition and roughness induced transition) Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interaction on a body flap and in the area surrounding the body flap. Shock Layer Chemistry measurements via emission spectroscopy. Sharp Hot Structure experiment Skin Friction measurement Base Flow characterisation
Spacecraft Total mass Payload mass Thermal Protection System Landing system Data volume Stabilisation	436 kg 41 kg Non-ablative materials (C-SiC on nose and flaps, PM1000 on the conical parts) – Hot structure concept Parachute system (with supersonic stabiliser) 100 Mb (stored in redundant crash resistant memory units) Passive (based on natural aerodynamic stability)
Mission Entry velocity Maximum Heat Flux Maximum g-loads Maximum Mach number	5 km/s 1.7 MW/m² 16 g Mach 20 Ballistic trajectory
Launch vehicle	Volna (decommissioned Russian ICBM)
Launch mass	436 kg into suborbital trajectory
Launch site	Pacific Ocean (off the Kamchatka coast)
Launch windows	April-October 2011
Flight duration	10 minutes
Landing site	Kura Range (Kamchatka, Russia)
Gound Station	Russian ground station in the Kura range
Programmatics	Spacecraft design and manufacturing funded within Interim Technology Phase for Reusable Transportation and Atmospheric Reentry Payload funded through TRP, GSTP, and provided as national contributions of European research entities Launch and recovery operations costs paid proportionally by the countries participating in the vehicle development

Related Links

Expert

Expert mission (pdf)