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Background About usProfile: The Right StuffSSA programme Space Situational Awareness Multimedia (click) Mission families Solar & planetary Astronomy & Fundamental PhysicsEarth ObservationHuman SpaceflightTechnology DemonstrationPast missionsESA mission history- Find a mission: A...ZMission control centres ATV Control Centre (ATV-CC)Columbus Control Centre (Col-CC)Worldwide ground station network ESTRACK tracking stationsESTRACK Control Centre- Find a station: A...ZOPS Community Advanced Mission Concepts & Technologies OfficeHSO ExchangeKnowledge ManagementESA Ground Operation System (EGOS)Services PublicationsESA-sponsored conferencesHelpSubscribe
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Solar & planetary missions
ESA's solar system explorations focus on understanding the Earth's relationship with other planets, an essential step for exploring the wider Universe. In the future, our research will shed new light on planets around other stars; detailed knowledge of our own solar system will be invaluable for interpreting these new results.
ESA's solar and planetary exploration missions are gathering data to help us understand ultimate questions, such as: How did our Earth and our Solar System evolve? Where are we in the Universe? Where are we going? Where did life come from, and are we alone?
Current missions
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Venus Express
Venus Express is ESA's first mission to our nearest planetary neighbour. The flight control team and ground segment operate at ESOC, using ESA's new Cebreros 35m ground station for telecommanding and data download.
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Rosetta
Rosetta is on a 10-year voyage to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Upon arrival in 2014, it will track the comet and deploy a lander. The complex trajectory includes three Earth and one Mars swing-bys.
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Mars Express
Instruments on board Mars Express are investigating the Martian atmosphere, surface and subsurface. The mission is controlled from ESOC, and uses the 35m ESTRACK station at New Norcia for routine telecommanding.
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Cluster II
The four-spacecraft Cluster II mission is studying small-scale structures of the Earth's magnetosphere in three dimensions, and comprises four separate spacecraft orbiting in formation and commanded by a single flight control team.
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SOHO
The joint ESA-NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) constantly watches the Sun, returning spectacular images and data on the storms that rage across its surface. SOHO is operated by NASA/Goddard.
Future missions
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BepiColombo
The two-spacecraft BepiColombo mission will study the composition, geophysics, atmosphere, magnetosphere and history of Mercury, the least explored planet in the inner Solar System. The ground segment is now under development at ESOC.
Last update: 17 August 2009 | |
| | Current missions Venus Express operationsRosetta operationsMars Express operationsCluster II operationsSOHOFuture missions BepiColombo
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