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Background About usProfile: The Right StuffSSA programme Space Situational Awareness Multimedia (click) Mission families Solar & planetaryAstronomy & Fundamental PhysicsEarth ObservationHuman Spaceflight Technology 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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Human Spaceflight
ESA human spaceflight missions are operated by partner agencies. The ISS (International Space Station) is operated from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, and Russia's TsUP Mission Control Centre, outside Moscow. Since February 2008, the Columbus lab has been controlled on ESA's behalf from the German Space Operations Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), while the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)-series are controlled for ESA from Toulouse by France's space agency (CNES).
Mission operations specialists from ESA's Operations directorate are stationed at the ATV and Columbus Control Centres to provide expert assistance and support. For more information, access the links below and at right.
Current missions
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International Space Station (ISS)
In partnership with the US, Russia, Japan and Canada, Europe is sharing in the International Space Station - the greatest cooperative space project ever. Once completed, the 450-tonne ISS will have over 1200 cubic metres of pressurized space - enough for seven crew and a vast array of scientific experiments.
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Columbus laboratory
The Columbus laboratory is ESA's biggest single contribution to the International Space Station. The 4.5-metre diameter cylindrical module is equipped with flexible research facilities offering extensive capabilities for microgravity research in life sciences, materials science and fluid physics.
Future missions
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Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-3)
ESA's ongoing series of Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) spacecraft make regular flights to the ISS, delivering equipment, spare parts, food, air and water to the permanent crew onboard Station. It also peforms reboosts for the ISS. ATV-3, Edoardo Amaldi, is scheduled for launch in early 2012.
Last update: 22 June 2011 | |
| | Current missions ISSColumbus operationsFuture missions ATV Edoardo AmaldiRelated NASA Johnson Space CenterTsUP (in Russian)ATV Control Centre, CNES (in French)Columbus Control Centre, DLR
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