ALL ABOUT ESA

Space for Europe

 THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY

From the beginnings of the space age, Europe has been actively involved
in spaceflight. Today it launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation,
telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the
Solar System, and cooperates in the human exploration of space.
Space is a key asset for Europe, providing essential information needed
by decision-makers to respond to global challenges. Space provides
indispensable technologies and services, and increases our understanding
of our planet and the Universe. Since 1975, the European Space Agency
(ESA) has been shaping the development of this space capability.
By pooling the resources of over 20 Member States, ESA undertakes
programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European
country, developing the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed
to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.

Cover: ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst

during a spacewalk from the International
Space Station in 2014 (NASA/ESA)

CONTENTS
SPACE TO DISCOVER ......................................... 2
SPACE FOR EARTH .............................................. 4
SPACE TO LOCATE ............................................... 6
SPACE TO COMMUNICATE .......................... 7
SPACE TO INNOVATE ................................... 8
ACCESS TO SPACE ........................................ 9
SPACE FOR LIFE ......................................... 10

The Philae lander took a selfieof the Rosetta

spacecraft at Comet 67P/Churyumov
Gerasimenko from a distance of about 16 km
on 7 October 2014 (ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA)

science & robotic exploration

SPACE TO DISCOVER
Over the past 40 years, Europe has marked a series of firsts in the exploration of
the Solar System and of our Universe: from an encounter with Comet Halley in 1986,
parachuting a probe on to Saturns moon Titan in 2005 and landing on a comet in 2014,
to studying our Sun in unprecedented detail and photographing the farthest galaxies.

To continue such successful achievements,

ESA is now looking ahead to the next
20 years with its Cosmic Vision programme.
This is a way of building on a solid past, and
working today to overcome the scientific,
intellectual and technological challenges
of tomorrow. Cosmic Vision is a starting
point for crucial studies in space science, to
discover if other worlds exist and how life
and the Universe evolved from the Big Bang
to now.
Several fundamental themes lie at the core
of the Cosmic Vision programme:
the conditions for planetary formation and
the emergence of life;
how the Solar System works;
the fundamental physical laws of the
Universe;
the origins of the Universe and what it is
made of.

EXPLORING OTHER PLANETS

Scientists believe that our Solar System
formed about 4600 million years ago. Since
then, its planets and moons have all evolved
in very different ways. To understand how
the Solar System works and why Earth is
unique, ESA has launched a series of highly
successful science missions.
Mars Express has found water on Mars and
is mapping its surface. Venus Express is
peering into the dense Venusian atmosphere
to study the dramatic greenhouse effect.
ESAs Huygens has landed on Titan, a moon of
Saturn, to study its chemistry and mineralogy.
Rosetta rendezvoused and landed on
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and
is now helping scientists understand if
comets brought water and life to Earth. The
BepiColombo mission will explore Mercury,
the closest planet to the Sun, to learn how
planets near stars form and evolve.

ExoMars is a cooperation of ESA and

Roscosmos to continue the exploration of the
Mars. One of its most ambitious scientific
goals is to establish whether life ever existed,
or is still active on Mars today. This is one of
the outstanding questions of our time, and a
prerequisite to prepare for the future human
exploration of the Red Planet.
In 2022, JUICE will fly to Jupiter, the largest
planet in the Solar System. JUICE will focus
on its three largest icy moons, Europa,
Ganymede, and Callisto, to assess the
potential habitability of their hidden deep
water oceans.

MONITORING THE STORMY SUN

Solar exploration has always played a key
role in ESAs space science programme and
satellites built in Europe have a long and
highly successful tradition in monitoring our
star and exploring its environment.
Today, many missions study the Sun, our
source of heat and energy that allows life to
form and evolve on Earth. The joint ESA/NASA
Ulysses has provided us with the first-ever
map of the heliosphere from the Suns equator
to its poles. ESAs four Cluster satellites are
investigating the interaction between Earths
magnetosphere and the solar wind.
SOHO, orbiting at a special point in space
on the sunward side of Earth, sends images
of solar explosions and probes the hidden
interior of the Sun. Especially remarkable are
its observations of coronal mass ejections,
in which the Sun sends huge puffs of
electrified gas out into the Solar System.
Satellites and power and communications
systems on the ground are vulnerable to
this space weather, and their engineers
can now be alerted in good time.

In November 2014, ESA's Rosetta mission rendezvoused and landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Sunshield test unit on James Webb Space Telescope unfurled for the first time (NASA)
Solar Orbiter will study our star, the Sun, and the solar wind at close range

stars and galaxies are born. A new generation

of telescopes, such as the James Webb Space
Telescope, will investigate supernovas, black
holes and quasars. They will provide scientists
with insight into the birth and evolution of
planetary systems.

In 2017, Solar Orbiter will fly to within

42 million km of the Sun, even closer than
Mercury, to study our star and the solar
wind at close range.

LOOKING DEEP INTO THE UNIVERSE

Space-based telescopes, such as Hubble
and ESAs XMM-Newton and Integral, are
studying the Universe beyond the visible
light, observing hot places around black holes
and exploded stars and monitoring celestial
objects with extreme gravity, density and
temperature. Planck and Herschel are looking
deeper into space to study the birth of the
Universe and to solve the mystery of how

The Euclid mission will try to answer

one of the biggest questions in modern
cosmology: why is the Universe expanding
at an accelerating rate, rather than slowing
down due to the gravitational attraction of
all the matter in it? Studying galaxies up to
10 billion light years away, Euclid will plot the
evolution of the Universes structure over
three-quarters of its history.

SUN
Name

Launch

Mission

ESRO-2

1968

Cosmic and X-radiation from the Sun

ISEE-B

1977

International Sun-Earth Explorer

Ulysses

1990

First spacecraft to overfly the Suns

poles

SOHO

1995

Studying the Suns core, outer

corona and solar wind

Cluster & Double

Star (with China)
Solar Orbiter

ExoMars
mission (ESA/AOES)

SOLAR SYSTEM AND SUNEARTH INTERACTIONS

2000
2003/2004

Interaction of the solar wind and

Earths magnetosphere

Name

2017

Study of the Sun from close range

ASTRONOMY AND THE EXOTIC UNIVERSE

Launch

Mission

Aurora

1968

Polar frontiers of the Van Allen

radiation belt

HEOS-1

1968

Interplanetary magnetic fields

Boreas

1969

Polar frontiers of the Van Allen

radiation belt

HEOS-2

1972

Interplanetary magnetic fields

ESRO-4

1972

Upper atmosphere temperature

variations

GEOS-1

1977

Plasma particles and waves in

Earths magnetic field

GEOS-2

1978

Movement in Earths upper

atmosphere

TD-1A

1972

Measuring ultraviolet radiation from

15 000 stars

Cos-B

1975

Gamma-ray studies

IUE

1978

Ultraviolet observations of 10 000

celestial objects

Exosat

1983

X-ray emissions of astronomical

phenomena

Hipparcos

1989

Position measurements of 120 000 stars

Hubble Space
Telescope

1990

Orbiting astronomical observatory

Giotto

1985

Fly-past of Comet Halley and

Comet GriggSkjellerup

ISO

1995

Exploring the infrared Universe

CassiniHuygens

1997

XMM-Newton

1999

The most sensitive X-ray observatory

to date

Exploring Saturns system and

descending onto its largest moon
Titan

Integral

2002

Observing the most energetic

phenomena in gamma rays

Mars Express

2003

Studying the atmosphere,

surface and subsurface of the
Red Planet

Herschel

2009

Infrared emissions from stars and

galaxies

SMART-1

2003

Testing solar-electric propulsion

and studying the Moons surface

Planck

2009

Studying the Cosmic Microwave

Background radiation

Huygens

2004

Probing the atmosphere and

surface of Titan

Gaia

2013

Precision mapping of one billion stars

Rosetta

2004

LISA Pathfinder

2015

Technology test for LISA mission

Orbiter of Comet 67P/

Churyumov-Gerasimenko and
Philae lander

Cheops

2017

Studying exoplanets around nearby

bright stars

Venus Express

2005

Exploring Venus and its

atmosphere

JWST

2018

Second-generation space telescope

BepiColombo

2016

Exploring the planet Mercury

Euclid

2020

Probing dark matter, dark energy and

the expanding Universe

ExoMars

2016

Mars orbiter and lander

Plato

2024

Studying extrasolar planetary systems

ExoMars

2018

Mars rover and surface platform

Athena

2028

X-ray astronomy

JUICE

2022

Characterising conditions of oceanbearing moons around Jupiter

earth observation

SPACE FOR EARTH

What is happening to our planet? Satellites are unique in their ability to constantly
monitor the entire Earth: they can provide crucial information about our ever-changing
planet. From space, we monitor many natural and man-made events, from floods and
forest fires, to changes in ice cover, rising sea levels and oil slicks.

ESAs Earth observation satellites

have given Europe a leading role in
understanding the global environment,
increasing our knowledge about Earths
weather and climate change. Since the
1970s, the Meteosat series of weather
satellites has provided a wealth of data
for the meteorology community. Envisat
and the ERS remote-sensing satellites have
allowed scientists to build datasets on
environmental phenomena and climate
change for 20 years.

environmental and civil security data and

information for its citizens.

The Earth Explorer satellites are giving

scientists the chance of using breakthrough
technologies to address specific issues
and learn more about interaction between
the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere,
cryosphere and the interior, and about the
impact that human activity is having on
Earths natural processes.

CLIMATE CHANGE

The EarthWatch missions ensure continuity

of datasets and provide operational services.
Developed with Eumetsat, the first two
Meteosat Second Generation satellites
and MetOp-A, Europes first polar-orbiting
meteorological satellite, are operational.

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY

Space-based observation of Earth is an
essential source of information for decisionmakers in responding to challenges such as
global environmental change and security.
Information must be of practical use, arriving
quickly and economically, and be accessible
to those using it. Copernicus, previously
known as GMES, is a joint initiative
between the EU and ESA, will consolidate
Europes capacity to collect and manage

The success of Copernicus is being achieved

largely through ESAs well-engineered
Space Component to provide essential
satellite data according to European policy
priorities. This includes the development
of a series of Sentinel satellites, and the
integration of national and European
missions to guarantee continuity of data
and services.

Over the last decades, satellites observing

Earth have been providing an ever-clearer
picture of the health of our planet and the
signs of climate change.
ESAs Climate Change Initiative exploits
archive satellite records going back
three decades combined with data from
new missions to produce information
on a wide range of variables such as
greenhouse-gas concentrations, sea-ice
extent and thickness, and sea-surface
temperature and salinity.
This strategy of generating datasets of
Essential Climate Variables provides Europe
with a powerful tool to monitor the state of
the climate system and to help predict the
effects that a changing climate may bring.

WATCHING THE WEATHER

What will tomorrows weather bring?
Regular, accurate weather forecasts are
crucial to many activities: aviation, shipping,
agriculture, fishing, construction, and even
sport and leisure.

Satellite measurements showing nitrogen dioxide as a pollutant, produced by burning fossil fuels
Earth's gravity revealed in unprecedented detail by GOCE
Hurricane Sandy approaching North America in October 2012, as seen by Europe's MetOp-A
(Eumetsat)

Meteorological satellites provide data on

weather systems by using instruments
to monitor clouds and winds, measure
temperatures and pressure and many
other surface conditions on land, sea and
in the air.
As a result of the cooperation between
ESA and Eumetsat, Europe has a fleet of
meteorological satellites to provide better
knowledge about our planets weather and
climate. The Meteosat series monitor Earth
from geostationary orbit while MetOp is the
first European meteorological satellite in
polar orbit.
Work has started on developing the next
generation of meteorological satellites,
Meteosat Third Generation.

From space, we monitor many natural and

man-made events, from floods and forest fires,
to changes in ice cover and rising sea levels

EARTH OBSERVATION MISSIONS

Name

Launch

Mission

CryoSat-2

2010

Ice sheets and marine ice cover

MSG-3

2012

Operational meteorology

Meteosat-1

1977

Pre-operational meteorological services

MetOp-B

2012

Polar meteorology

Meteosat-2

1981

Pre-operational meteorological services

Sentinel-1

2013

Operational radar imaging

Meteosat-3

1988

Pre-operational meteorological services

Swarm

2013

Magnetic field studies

Meteosat-4

1989

Operational meteorology

Sentinel-2

2014

Land monitoring

Meteosat-5

1991

Operational meteorology

Sentinel-3

2014

Marine monitoring

ERS-1

1991

Pre-operational Earth observation radar

MSG-4

2015

Operational meteorology

Meteosat-6

1993

Operational meteorology

Aeolus

2016

Atmospheric dynamics

ERS-2

1995

Pre-operational Earth observation radar

Sentinel-5 Precursor

2016

Payload for atmospheric monitoring

Meteosat-7

1997

Operational meteorology

Sentinel-4

2017

Payload for atmospheric monitoring

Proba-1

2001

Technology/Earth observation

EarthCARE

2018

Radiation and cloud interaction

Envisat

2002

Earth observation

MetOp-C

2018

Polar meteorological services

Meteosat-8

2002

Formerly MSG-1, operational

meteorology

MTG-I-1

2018

Meteosat Third Generation

MSG-2

2005

Operational meteorology

MTG-S-1

2020

Meteosat Third Generation

MetOp-A

2006

Meteorological services

Sentinel-5

2020

Payload for atmospheric monitoring

GOCE

2009

Gravity field and geoid

Biomass

2020

Studying the worlds tropical forests

SMOS

2009

Soil moisture and ocean salinity

Earth Explorer 8

galileo & navigation-related activities

SPACE TO LOCATE
After mobile phones and the internet, satellite navigation is the latest high-tech
addition to our everyday lives. Spacecraft orbiting Earth can tell you exactly where
you are, 24 hours a day.

Car and truck drivers, farmers, yachtsmen

and hikers have all discovered the benefits
of satellite navigation. Air traffic control,
shipping, rescue operations, crisis
management and law enforcement services
have all been revolutionised by more
accurate and reliable positioning systems.
Determined to provide Europe with its own
independent global civil satellite navigation
system, the European Commission and ESA
have devised a two-step approach.
The already operational EGNOS, which
augments GPS, is used in numerous European
airports for safer approaches and landings.
The worldwide Galileo system started with
two demonstration missions GIOVE-A and B.

It made its first positioning in March 2013,

during its In-Orbit Validation phase, proving
the concept. These four satellites were joined
by Satellites 5 and 6 in August 2014 and then
7 and 8 in March 2015. The constellation
build-up will now progress at a steady rate
leading to its completion of 30 satellites and
its associated ground segment.
The range of potential applications for
Galileo is extremely wide. Looking beyond
the transport sector, where it will increase
safety, efficiency and comfort, its advanced
technological features and its commercially
oriented services will make it a valuable tool
for many more economic sectors.
Initial services including Open Service,
Search And Rescue and Public Regulated
Service are planned for 2016. Interoperable
with GPS, Galileo signals will be treated
by receivers in a fully transparent way.
Multiplying the satellites in space will
improve reliability and accuracy on Earth.

The first two Galileo satellites were launched

from Europe's Spaceport in 2011
Satellites in the Galileo constellation

GALILEO NAVIGATION
Name

Launch

Mission

GIOVE-A

2005

Demonstration mission

GIOVE-B

2008

Demonstration mission

IOV x2

2011

In-orbit Validation to
qualify Galileo design

IOV x2

2012

In-orbit Validation to
qualify Galileo design

Galileo 5/6

2014

Full Operational Capability satellites

Galileo 7/8

2015

Full Operational Capability satellites

Satellite positioning has already become the standard way of navigating,

now essential for the efficient running of transport systems and also human
safety (Zetapress)

telecommunications & integrated applications

SPACE TO COMMUNICATE
Global communications underpin modern society and represent an
important commercial sector. Satellites are a fundamental part of global
telecommunications networks, providing all kind of services, efficiently and
seamlessly, over almost every region of our planet.
ESAs Advanced Research in
Telecommunications Systems (ARTES)
programmes transform research and
development investment into successful
commercial products, and are central to
European and Canadian industries remaining
world-class competitors. These programmes
enable companies of participating states to
increase competitiveness, access new markets,
encourage growth and foster innovation.

EXPANDING AT EVERY LEVEL

Europe currently takes home 35% of global
commercial satellite orders and the sector is
growing steadily. Global revenue has nearly
tripled in the past decade. ESA supports the
deployment of new satellites and programmes
that help companies compete on the global
market by providing them with the means to
diversify their products and enter new markets.
Alphasat is the biggest European telecom
satellite ever built, based on Alphabus,
the next generation of large platforms for
high-power telecom satellites. SmallGEO is
a flexible geostationary satellite platform
for smaller spacecraft. The Next Generation
geostationary platform Neosat is ESAs
offering to the mid-range market, which
makes up the bulk of satellite orders.
Quantum is a pioneering mission that
will influence how telecom satellites are
procured and manufactured in Europe by
validating a new, generic payload design.

Most of ESAs support to satcom technology

is in publicprivate partnerships with
companies from all over Europe. These
partnerships stimulate breakthroughs
by sharing the risk between ESA and
industry, making it easier to take on
potentially game-changing projects.
One is the European Data Relay System
(EDRS): an independent European network
for transmission of large quantities of
satellite data. Another, Electra, will develop
a communications satellite with full
electric-propulsion. Atlas is an extension
of an ARTES element that supports 'first
flight' opportunities for experiments on
commercial telecoms satellites.

SATCOM FOR SEA AND SKY

Iris is an air-to-ground communications
system for safer and more precise air traffic
management. The maritime sector is set to
benefit from SAT-AIS, which uses satellites
to extend the reach of identification
messages from ship to shore.

AND EVERYWHERE ELSE

ESAs ARTES programme includes
the development of applications that
provide solutions to the needs and
challenges faced by society, in areas such
as health, agriculture, security, energy and
more all making use of multiple space
assets to improve our daily lives.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS MISSIONS
Name

Integrated applications: combining

the use of different types of satellites,
such as telecommunications, Earth observation
and navigation

Olympus

1989

Telecoms technology demonstration

Artemis

2001

Telecoms technology demonstration

Hylas-1

2010

Broadband services in publicprivate

partnership
Next-generation telecoms satellite

Launch

Mission

OTS-2

1978

Telecoms technology demonstration

Marecs-A

1981

Maritime communications

Alphasat

2013

ECS-1

1983

Operational communications satellite

SmallGEO

2015/6

ECS-2

1984

Operational communications satellite

EDRS-A

2015

Data relay satellite

Marecs-B2

1984

Maritime communications

EDRS-C

2016

Data relay satellite

ECS-4

1987

Operational communications satellite

Neosat

2018

Geostationary telecoms

ECS-5

1988

Operational communications satellite

Electra

2019

Telecoms with electric propulsion

Geostationary telecoms

technology

SPACE TO INNOVATE
What accounts for the continued commercial success of European space? The answer
is innovation. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development notes a
third of all new space patents are filed in Europe, second only to the United States.

Europes space industry stays smarter than

its international competitors thanks to a
steady stream of technology development,
coordinated by ESAs Technology programmes.

energy challenges on Earth and the building

blocks for human and robotic exploration.

Technology lies at the foundation of

everything ESA does. ESAs technology research
and development programmes are run on
a 510 year time span, from investigating
promising new ideas to finalising hardware for
actual spaceflight and commercial markets.

ESAs Technology programmes also prioritise

the transfer of high-performance technologies
to terrestrial markets, fostering new businesses
and boosting wider European competitiveness.

Cross-cutting initiatives address directly the key

technological challenges of this new century:
sustainability of space activities on Earth and
in orbit; key advances in scientific instruments;
space technologies that can help address the

BRINGING SPACE DOWN TO EARTH

The transfer of these space technologies to

our daily lives brings real benefits in many
ways. Space technologies are already being
used to improve the well-being of ordinary
citizens through, for example, healthcare
products, improved waste management and
water recovery.

TECHNOLOGY MISSION
Name

Launch

Mission

Proba-1

2001

Technology demonstrator/Earth observation

Proba-2

2009

Technology demonstrator/science

Proba-V

2013

Technology demonstrator/Earth observation

Proba-3

2018

Formation flying/solar science

Proba-3 is ESAs first close formation-flying mission. A pair of satellites will fly together on a
coordinated basis, evaluating techniques for flying in tandem
A running PPS 1350 Hall effect thruster, as used on Alphasat
ESAs world-class laboratories use an unrivalled combination of expert knowledge and specialised
equipment (ESA/G. Schoonewille)

launchers

ACCESS TO SPACE
Self-sufficiency in sending satellites into orbit is vital for Europes independence in
space. Since the beginning of the Ariane programme in 1973, a highly successful
series of launchers has been developed, from Ariane 1 through to Ariane 5.

The Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher ensures that

Europe maintains its competitive edge in the
global launcher market. The current Ariane 5
ECA can deliver almost 10 tonnes into the
geostationary transfer orbits needed for
many satellites.
Smaller launchers are still needed to meet
the market for smaller satellites, adding
greater flexibility to the range of European
launch capabilities. ESA has developed Vega,
capable of lifting up to 1.5 tonnes into low
Earth orbit, and Russias medium-lift Soyuz
vehicles are being launched from Europes
Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana.
Today, European launch services are the
most reliable in the world. But economically
speaking, they operate in a commercial market
where competitors are heavily supported
by a guaranteed governmental market. To
meet this challenge of competitiveness, ESA
is developing the new Ariane 6 for a maiden
flight in 2020. Ariane 6 will be a modular threestage launcher with two configurations, using
boosters in common with the Vega vehicle.

When you launch a satellite, any extra

speed gained from Earths rotation is
welcome. This boost is strongest near the
Equator, so Kourou is the best placed of all
the worlds major spaceports. Spent rockets
fall safely into the open ocean, and the
same is true for launchers sent northwards,
when different kinds of orbits are required.
Developed by France in the late 1960s,
the launch site is now used by ESA for its
Ariane, Vega and Soyuz rockets.
Europes growing launcher family:
Vega, Soyuz at CSG and Ariane 5 will soon
be joined by Ariane 6

For the future, ESA is reviewing new

technologies and propulsion systems with
experts from Europes research centres and
aerospace industry, to make access to space
simpler and cheaper.

EUROPES SPACEPORT
Situated between a rain forest and the
Atlantic coast of South America, Kourou
in French Guiana has become a familiar
venue to space engineers and their
customers from around the world. It is
the home of the Guiana Space Centre
Europes Spaceport.
The high levels of efficiency, safety and
reliability at Europes Spaceport are well
known. In addition to its many European
clients, the spaceport also undertakes
launches for customers in the USA, Japan,
Canada, India and Brazil.
Launch of Ariane 5 ECA at Europes Spaceport
in French Guiana (ESA/CNES/Arianespace Optique Vido du CSG)

human spaceflight & operations

SPACE FOR LIFE

European astronauts have been taking part in human spaceflight missions for
over three decades, either flying on the US Space Shuttle or Russian Soyuz
spacecraft, first to the Mir space station and then to the International Space
Station (ISS), gaining a wealth of experience.

The first ESA astronaut, Ulf Merbold, flew

into space in 1983. In 1998, the European
Astronaut Centre was established in
Germany to prepare European astronauts for
missions to the ISS. Many have already flown
to the ISS, playing a vital role in the assembly
and operation of key elements of the station.
Today, new astronauts have been selected
and are taking part in missions to the ISS,
and eventually future human spaceflight
missions beyond.

EUROPE AND THE INTERNATIONAL

SPACE STATION
The ISS is easily visible to the naked eye as it
flies 400 km overhead. It is a masterpiece of
global cooperation, uniting the USA, Russia,
Japan, Canada and Europe in the largest
partnership in the history of science.
Europes involvement in this partnership
through ESA continues to be a story of
major technical and scientific achievement.
It has been a huge stimulus for European
industry, which has taken great strides
in the development and manufacture of
cutting-edge space systems and hardware.
Europes key contribution is the multipurpose science laboratory, Columbus.
Here, scientists can send experiments to be
carried out in weightless conditions. With
the ISS completed, utilisation of this unique
facility and the exploitation of the unrivalled
opportunities it offers are well under way.
ESA also provided the Automated Transfer
Vehicle (ATV) a series of unmanned ferries
that dock and undock automatically, each
carrying a cargo of food, propellant and
other supplies. The ATVs also helped the ISS
maintain its attitude, and remove waste for
incineration in the atmosphere.

Following the success of ATV, and to offset

obligations towards ISS partners, ESA is
developing the ATV-derived European
Service Module for the NASA Multi-Purpose
Crew Vehicle Orion.

EXPLORING THE NEW FRONTIER

Space exploration is a great geopolitical
opportunity and those nations that
participate and contribute to a significant
level in space exploration will shape
the current international principles
regulating the use of outer space. ESA
will ensure that Europe plays a key role
in this future international exploration
of space. Through the exploitation of
the ISS, experience in human spaceflight
operations will be significantly increased,
but Europe has also been involved in
international planning for exploration
beyond Earth orbit.
These exploration plans focus on robotic
missions that will prepare the way, subject to
affordability, for human settlements on the
Moon and the robotic exploration of Mars.
A long-term goal after 2030 could also be
the first human mission to Mars. A series
of manned and unmanned missions will
test and develop the technologies and
knowledge that will get humans safely to
Mars and back. These will require advances
in many areas, such as guidance systems,
robotics, radiation-hardening, propulsion
and life-support systems.

WHERE MISSIONS COME ALIVE

Along with the European contribution to the
ISS, including ATV production, its scientific
and technical utilisation and other human
spaceflight activities, ESA also manages the
flight operations of all it missions and their
corresponding ground segment elements.

The International Space Station (NASA/ESA)

Studying space weather is a key element of Space Situational Awareness
ESOC's Main Control Room, Darmstadt

10

The European Space Operations Centre (ESOC),

in Darmstadt, Germany, serves as the main
control centre for ESA missions, and hosts
the Estrack Control Centre which manages
the ESA tracking station network, Estrack.
This worldwide system of ground stations
provides links between satellites in orbit and
ESOC, with 10 stations in seven countries. The
essential task of all ESA tracking stations is
to communicate with our missions, uplink
commands and downlink scientific data and
spacecraft status information.
Based on experience since 1967 in controlling
over 60 missions and the capability to
manage multiple spacecraft at once, we
also provide our mission control expertise to
outside agencies and customers. In addition
to operating missions, ESA provides worldclass services to a variety of internal and
external clients for space debris tracking and
collision alerts, geodata analysis, software
development and navigation.

SPACE FOR SECURITY

The Space Situational Awareness (SSA)
initiative aims to provide Europe with
services to protect satellites and Earth. The
initiative supports Europes independent
utilisation of space, through provision of
timely and accurate information about the
space environment. SSA will strengthen
reliability, availability and security of
Europes space-based services. It will be
coordinated with international partners and
the institutions of the European Union.
European industry will benefit from new
contracts and world-class competitive
capabilities gained through development of
the SSA infrastructure and services.

EUROPEAN ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE

Vladimir Remek (CZ)
Soyuz 28 1978
Miroslaw Hermaszewski (PL)
Soyuz 30 1978
Siegmund Jhn (DE)
Soyuz 31 1978
Georgi Ivanov (BG)
Soyuz 33 1979
Bertalan Farkas (HU)
Soyuz 36 1980
Dimitru Prunariu (RO)
Soyuz 40 1981
Jean-Loup Chrtien (FR)
Soyuz T-6 1982
Soyuz TM-7 1988
STS-86 1997
Ulf Merbold (DE)
STS-9 1983
STS-42 1992
Euromir 94/Soyuz TM-20 1994
Patrick Baudry (FR)
STS-51G 1985
Reinhard Furrer (DE)
STS-61A 1985
Ernst Messerschmid (DE)
STS-61A 1985

Michel Tognini (FR)

Antars/Soyuz TM-15 1992
STS-93 1999

Pedro Duque (ES)

STS-95 1998
Cervantes/Soyuz TMA-3 2003

Franco Malerba (IT)

STS-46 1992

Ivan Bella (SL)

Soyuz TM-29 1999

Claude Nicollier (CH)

STS-46 1992
STS-61 1993
STS-75 1996
STS-103 1999

Gerhard Thiele (DE)

STS-99 2000

Hans Schlegel (DE)

STS-55 1993
STS-122 2008
Ulrich Walter (DE)
STS-55 1993
Jean-Pierre Haigner (FR)
Altair/Soyuz TM-17 1993
Perseus/Soyuz TM-29 1999
Jean-Franois Clervoy (FR)
STS-66 1994
STS-84 1997
STS-103 1999
Thomas Reiter (DE)
Euromir 95/Soyuz TM-22 1995/6
Astrolab/STS-121 2006
Maurizio Cheli (IT)
STS-75 1996

Roberto Vittori (IT)

Marco Polo/Soyuz TM-34 2002
Eneide/Soyuz TMA-6 2005

DAMA/STS-134 2011
Philippe Perrin (FR)
STS-111 2002
Frank De Winne (BE)
Odissea/Soyuz TMA-1 2002
OasISS/Soyuz TMA-15 2009
Andr Kuipers (NL)
Delta/Soyuz TMA-4 2004
PromISSe/Soyuz TMA-03M 2011
Christer Fuglesang (SE)
Celsius/STS-116 2006
Aliss/STS-128 2009
Paolo Nespoli (IT)
STS-120 2007

MagISStra/Soyuz TMA-20 2010
Luca Parmitano (IT)
Volare/Soyuz TMA-09M 2013

Wubbo Ockels (NL)

STS-61A 1985

Umberto Guidoni (IT)

STS-75 1996
STS-100 2001

Alexander Alexandrov (BG)

Soyuz TM-5 1988

Jean-Jaques Favier (FR)

STS-78 1996

Samantha Cristoforetti (IT)

Futura/Soyuz TMA-15M 2014

Helen Sharman (GB)

Soyuz TM-12 1991

Claudie Haigner (FR)

Cassiope/Soyuz TM-24 1996
Andromde/Soyuz TM-33 2001

Andreas Mogensen (DK)

Iriss/Soyuz TMA-18M 2015

Franz Viehbck (AT)

Soyuz TM-13 1991
Klaus-Dietrich Flade (DE)
Soyuz TM-14 1992
Dirk Frimout (BE)
STS-45 1992

Reinhold Ewald (DE)

Soyuz TM-25 1997

Alexander Gerst (DE)

Blue Dot/Soyuz TMA-13M 2014

Timothy Peake (GB)

Principia/Soyuz TMA-19M 2015

Lopold Eyharts (FR)

Pgase/Soyuz TM-27 1998
STS-122 2008

ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel makes a spacewalk during the installation of the European Columbus laboratory on the ISS (NASA)

11

THE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS OF TOMORROW

Young people are always fascinated by space
exploration. It can capture their imagination,
propelling them into a multitude of scientific
and technological careers.
ESA draws on this curiosity to help
stimulate a wider interest, encouraging
an increasingly knowledge-based society
in Europe, by motivating youngsters to
enhance their literacy in science and
technology. Generating an interest at an
early age is important because the future
development of space will depend on these
young scientists and engineers.
Together with partners, ESA supports
teachers to tackle space-related subjects

through specific programmes and projects.

Higher education students get the
chance to meet the experts including
astronauts and gain hands-on experience
in designing space experiments. We also
encourage students from different European
universities to network, preparing them
to become the skilled and knowledgeable
workforce of tomorrow.
Education activities also support the ESA
recruitment process, through a unique set
of projects. These range from designing
small satellites to initiatives that foster
the transfer of ESA knowhow and provide
academic support to research of interest
to ESA.

Space programmes need resources. This means funds, people and expertise.
ESA employs around 2200 permanent staff, spread among its main centres
and smaller offices around the world.

ESAS BUDGET BY PROGRAMME IN 2015 (MEURO)

*includes Third Party Activities

12

headquarters
ESAS 22 MEMBER STATES ARE:
20 states of the EU
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom

Located in Paris, home to the main programme

directorates that steer and formulate ESA policy.

estec
The European Space Research and Technology
Centre, Noordwijk, the Netherlands, is the largest
site and the technical heart of ESA.

esoc
The European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt,
Germany, tracks and controls European spacecraft.

esrin
ESAs centre for Earth observation activities, near
Rome, Italy, also develops information systems
and hosts the Vega launcher project.

plus Norway and Switzerland.

eac

Seven other EU states have Cooperation Agreements with

ESA: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia
and Slovenia. Discussions are ongoing with Croatia.
Canada takes part in some programmes under a longstanding Cooperation Agreement.

esac

The European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany,

trains astronauts for missions to the International
Space Station and beyond.

The European Space Astronomy Centre, near

Madrid, Spain, hosts the science operation centres
and archives for ESAs astronomy and planetary
missions.

redu
Redu Centre in Belgium is part of ESAs ground
station network and is also home to ESA's Space
Weather Data Centre.

ecsat
ECSAT in Oxfordshire, UK, supports activities related
to telecommunications, integrated applications,
climate change, technology and science.

guiana space centre

ESAs launchers lift off from Europes Spaceport in
Kourou, French Guiana. It is jointly operated by the
French space agency (CNES) and Arianespace with
the support of European industry.

CONTACT
ESA HQ
France
+33 1 53 69 76 54
ESTEC
The Netherlands
+31 71 565 6565
ESOC
Germany
+49 6151 900
ESRIN
Italy
+39 06 941 801
ESAC
Spain
+34 91 813 1100
EAC
Germany
+49 2203 6001 111
ESA Redu
Belgium
+32 61 229512
ECSAT
United Kingdom
+44 1235 567900

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Copyright 2015 European Space Agency