MagISStra mission: Information for the media
ESA's astronaut Paolo Nespoli will be launched in a Soyuz TMA spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 15 December at 20:09 CET with Dmitri Kondratyev and Catherine Coleman for a challenging 6-month mission on the International Space Station (ISS) as members of Expeditions 26/27.
After the launch their orbit will be gradually raised and fine-tuned during the two-day cruise and they are scheduled to arrive at the Station on Friday evening, 17 December at 21:12 CET (20:12 GMT).
This will be Paolo’s second time aboard the ISS: he flew in 2007 on a Space Shuttle to deliver and install the Node-2 module.
Paolo’s MagISStra mission will be Europe’s third long-duration mission on the ISS. Between December 2010 and June 2011 he will be part of the ISS crew as a flight engineer.
In addition to his technical and operational duties, he has an extensive programme of scientific experiments and educational activities. He will use a novel 3D camera to show realistic views from inside and outside the ISS.
Download the 37-page MagISStra launch press kit (pdf) here. (or an Italian version.)
Multimedia resources:
- Latest photos from the Multimedia gallery
- Recent ESA-TV programmes for downloading:
* MagISStra mission in ISS, December 2010
* Paolo Nespoli soon in the ISS, November 2010
* Paolo Nespoli training for his upcoming mission, September 2010 - More (older) broadcast quality footage:
* An interview with Paolo Nespoli
* An interview with Simonetta Di Pippo,
ESA Director of Human Spaceflight
* Paolo Nespoli training in Moscow
* Paolo Nespoli training in Houston
* Paolo Nespoli training at EAC, Cologne
* B-roll material about Paolo Nespoli training footage
(Warning: These are big mpeg2 files intended for TV broadcasters. Take it into account when downloading them. For instance, if you use Internet Explorer, click right and select the "Save target as" function.)
Contact persons:
Rosita Suenson
Human Spaceflight Communication Programme Officer,
Communication Department, ESA
Tel. +31 71 565 3009
Mobile: +31 652 062 158
Email: rosita.suenson@esa.int
Jean Coisne
Head of the Outreach office at the European Astronaut Centre, ESA
Tel. T +49 2203 60 01 110
Email: jean.coisne@esa.int
