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
Go to topicAstronaut Rex Walheim, STS-122 mission specialist, participates in the first scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as construction and maintenance continue on the International Space Station. During the almost eight-hour spacewalk, Walheim and astronaut Stanley Love (out of frame), mission specialist, installed a grapple fixture on the Columbus laboratory and prepared electrical and data connections on the module while it rested inside Space Shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. The crewmembers also began work to replace a large nitrogen tank used for pressurizing the station's ammonia cooling system.