Space for Europe

→ ALL ABOUT ESA

← Cover: ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst during a spacewalk from the International Space Station in 2014 (NASA/ESA)

→ 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.

The Philae lander took a ‘selfie’of the Rosetta spacecraft at Comet 67P/Churyumov–

Gerasimenko from a distance of about 16 km on 7 October 2014 (ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA)

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

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 Saturn’s 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. ESA’s 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 ESA’s 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 Sun’s equator to its poles. ESA’s four Cluster satellites are investigating the interaction between Earth’s 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

2

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 ESA’s 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

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.

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 Universe’s structure over three-quarters of its history.

→ ExoMars mission (ESA/AOES)

3

→ SUN

ESRO-2

ISEE-B

Ulysses

SOHO

Cluster & Double Star (with China)

Solar Orbiter

1968

1977

1990

1995

20002003/2004

2017

Cosmic and X-radiation from the Sun

International Sun-Earth Explorer

First spacecraft to overfly the Sun’s poles

Studying the Sun’s core, outer corona and solar wind

Interaction of the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere

Study of the Sun from close range

→ ASTRONOMY AND THE EXOTIC UNIVERSE

TD-1A

Cos-B

IUE

Exosat

Hipparcos

Hubble Space Telescope

ISO

XMM-Newton

Integral

Herschel

Planck

Gaia

LISA Pathfinder

Cheops

JWST

Euclid

Plato

Athena

1972

1975

1978

1983

1989

1990

1995

1999

2002

2009

2009

2013

2015

2017

2018

2020

2024

2028

Measuring ultraviolet radiation from 15 000 stars

Gamma-ray studies

Ultraviolet observations of 10 000 celestial objects

X-ray emissions of astronomical phenomena

Position measurements of 120 000 stars

Orbiting astronomical observatory

Exploring the infrared Universe

The most sensitive X-ray observatory to date

Observing the most energetic phenomena in gamma rays

Infrared emissions from stars and galaxies

Studying the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation

Precision mapping of one billion stars

Technology test for LISA mission

Studying exoplanets around nearby bright stars

Second-generation space telescope

Probing dark matter, dark energy and the expanding Universe

Studying extrasolar planetary systems

X-ray astronomy

→ SOLAR SYSTEM AND SUN–EARTH INTERACTIONS

Aurora

HEOS-1

Boreas

HEOS-2

ESRO-4

GEOS-1

GEOS-2

Giotto

Cassini‒Huygens

Mars Express

SMART-1

Huygens

Rosetta

Venus Express

BepiColombo

ExoMars

ExoMars

JUICE

1968

1968

1969

1972

1972

1977

1978

1985

1997

2003

2003

2004

2004

2005

2016

2016

2018

2022

Polar frontiers of the Van Allen radiation belt

Interplanetary magnetic fields

Polar frontiers of the Van Allen radiation belt

Interplanetary magnetic fields

Upper atmosphere temperature variations

Plasma particles and waves in Earth’s magnetic field

Movement in Earth’s upper atmosphere

Fly-past of Comet Halley and Comet Grigg‒Skjellerup

Exploring Saturn’s system and descending onto its largest moon Titan

Studying the atmosphere, surface and subsurface of the Red Planet

Testing solar-electric propulsion and studying the Moon’s surface

Probing the atmosphere and surface of Titan

Orbiter of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and Philae lander

Exploring Venus and its atmosphere

Exploring the planet Mercury

Mars orbiter and lander

Mars rover and surface platform

Characterising conditions of ocean-bearing moons around Jupiter

Name Launch Mission

Name Launch Mission

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.

ESA’s Earth observation satellites have given Europe a leading role in understanding the global environment, increasing our knowledge about Earth’s 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.

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 Earth’s natural processes.

The EarthWatch missions ensure continuity of datasets and provide operational services. Developed with Eumetsat, the first two Meteosat Second Generation satellites and MetOp-A, Europe’s first polar-orbiting meteorological satellite, are operational.

ENVIRONMENT AND SECURITY

Space-based observation of Earth is an essential source of information for decision-makers 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 Europe’s capacity to collect and manage

environmental and civil security data and information for its citizens.

The success of Copernicus is being achieved largely through ESA’s 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.

CLIMATE CHANGE

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.

ESA’s 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 tomorrow’s 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)

4

→ 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

Meteosat-1

Meteosat-2

Meteosat-3

Meteosat-4

Meteosat-5

ERS-1

Meteosat-6

ERS-2

Meteosat-7

Proba-1

Envisat

Meteosat-8

MSG-2

MetOp-A

GOCE

SMOS

Name Launch Mission

1977

1981

1988

1989

1991

1991

1993

1995

1997

2001

2002

2002

2005

2006

2009

2009

Pre-operational meteorological services

Pre-operational meteorological services

Pre-operational meteorological services

Operational meteorology

Operational meteorology

Pre-operational Earth observation radar

Operational meteorology

Pre-operational Earth observation radar

Operational meteorology

Technology/Earth observation

Earth observation

Formerly MSG-1, operational meteorology

Operational meteorology

Meteorological services

Gravity field and geoid

Soil moisture and ocean salinity

CryoSat-2

MSG-3

MetOp-B

Sentinel-1

Swarm

Sentinel-2

Sentinel-3

MSG-4

Aeolus

Sentinel-5 Precursor

Sentinel-4

EarthCARE

MetOp-C

MTG-I-1

MTG-S-1

Sentinel-5

Biomass

Earth Explorer 8

2010

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014

2014

2015

2016

2016

2017

2018

2018

2018

2020

2020

2020

Ice sheets and marine ice cover

Operational meteorology

Polar meteorology

Operational radar imaging

Magnetic field studies

Land monitoring

Marine monitoring

Operational meteorology

Atmospheric dynamics

Payload for atmospheric monitoring

Payload for atmospheric monitoring

Radiation and cloud interaction

Polar meteorological services

Meteosat Third Generation

Meteosat Third Generation

Payload for atmospheric monitoring

Studying the world’s tropical forests

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 planet’s 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.

5

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.

→ GALILEO NAVIGATION

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

GIOVE-A

GIOVE-B

IOV x2

IOV x2

Galileo 5/6

Galileo 7/8

Name Launch Mission

2005

2008

2011

2012

2014

2015

Demonstration mission

Demonstration mission

In-orbit Validation toqualify Galileo design

In-orbit Validation toqualify Galileo design

Full Operational Capability satellites

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)

6

telecommunications & integrated applications

→ SPACE TO COMMUNICATE

↑ Integrated applications: combining the use of different types of satellites,

such as telecommunications, Earth observation and navigation

ESA’s 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 ESA’s 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 ESA’s support to satcom technology is in public–private 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

ESA’s 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.

OTS-2

Marecs-A

ECS-1

ECS-2

Marecs-B2

ECS-4

ECS-5

Name Launch Mission

1978

1981

1983

1984

1984

1987

1988

Telecoms technology demonstration

Maritime communications

Operational communications satellite

Operational communications satellite

Maritime communications

Operational communications satellite

Operational communications satellite

Olympus

Artemis

Hylas-1

Alphasat

SmallGEO

EDRS-A

EDRS-C

Neosat

Electra

1989

2001

2010

2013

2015/6

2015

2016

2018

2019

Telecoms technology demonstration

Telecoms technology demonstration

Broadband services in public‒private partnership

Next-generation telecoms satellite

Geostationary telecoms

Data relay satellite

Data relay satellite

Geostationary telecoms

Telecoms with electric propulsion

7

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.

→ TELECOMMUNICATIONS MISSIONS

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.

Europe’s space industry stays smarter than its international competitors thanks to a steady stream of technology development, coordinated by ESA’s Technology programmes.

Technology lies at the foundation of everything ESA does. ESA’s technology research and development programmes are run on a 5–10 year time span, from investigating promising new ideas to finalising hardware for actual spaceflight – and commercial markets.

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

↖ Proba-3 is ESA’s 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↓ ESA’s world-class laboratories use an unrivalled combination of expert knowledge and specialised equipment (ESA/G. Schoonewille)

energy challenges on Earth and the building blocks for human and robotic exploration.

BRINGING SPACE DOWN TO EARTH

ESA’s Technology programmes also prioritise the transfer of high-performance technologies to terrestrial markets, fostering new businesses and boosting wider European competitiveness.

The transfer of these space technologies toour daily lives brings real benefits in manyways. Space technologies are already beingused to improve the well-being of ordinarycitizens through, for example, healthcareproducts, improved waste management and water recovery.

8

→ TECHNOLOGY MISSION

Proba-1

Proba-2

Proba-V

Proba-3

Name Launch Mission

2001

2009

2013

2018

Technology demonstrator/Earth observation

Technology demonstrator/science

Technology demonstrator/Earth observation

Formation flying/solar science

launchers

→ ACCESS TO SPACE

Self-sufficiency in sending satellites into orbit is vital for Europe’s 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 Russia’s medium-lift Soyuz vehicles are being launched from Europe’s 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 three-stage launcher with two configurations, using boosters in common with the Vega vehicle.

For the future, ESA is reviewing new technologies and propulsion systems with experts from Europe’s research centres and aerospace industry, to make access to space simpler and cheaper.

EUROPE’S 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 – Europe’s Spaceport.

The high levels of efficiency, safety and reliability at Europe’s 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.

When you launch a satellite, any extra speed gained from Earth’s rotation is welcome. This boost is strongest near the Equator, so Kourou is the best placed of all the world’s 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.

→ Launch of Ariane 5 ECA at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana (ESA/CNES/Arianespace - Optique Vidéo du CSG)

→ Europe’s growing launcher family: Vega, Soyuz at CSG and Ariane 5 will soon be joined by Ariane 6

9

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.

Europe’s 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.

Europe’s key contribution is the multi-purpose 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 world-class 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 Europe’s independent utilisation of space, through provision of timely and accurate information about the space environment. SSA will strengthen reliability, availability and security of Europe’s 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.

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

→ EUROPEAN ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE

Vladimir Remek (CZ) Soyuz 28 1978

Miroslaw Hermaszewski (PL) Soyuz 30 1978

Siegmund Jähn (DE) Soyuz 31 1978

Georgi Ivanov (BG) Soyuz 33 1979

Bertalan Farkas (HU) Soyuz 36 1980

Dimitru Prunariu (RO) Soyuz 40 1981

Jean-Loup Chrétien (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

Wubbo Ockels (NL) STS-61A 1985

Alexander Alexandrov (BG) Soyuz TM-5 1988

Helen Sharman (GB) Soyuz TM-12 1991

Franz Viehböck (AT) Soyuz TM-13 1991

Klaus-Dietrich Flade (DE) Soyuz TM-14 1992

Dirk Frimout (BE) STS-45 1992

Michel Tognini (FR) Antarès/Soyuz TM-15 1992 STS-93 1999

Franco Malerba (IT) STS-46 1992

Claude Nicollier (CH) STS-46 1992 STS-61 1993 STS-75 1996 STS-103 1999

Hans Schlegel (DE) STS-55 1993 STS-122 2008

Ulrich Walter (DE) STS-55 1993

Jean-Pierre Haigneré (FR) Altair/Soyuz TM-17 1993 Perseus/Soyuz TM-29 1999

Jean-François 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

Umberto Guidoni (IT) STS-75 1996 STS-100 2001

Jean-Jaques Favier (FR) STS-78 1996

Claudie Haigneré (FR) Cassiopée/Soyuz TM-24 1996 Andromède/Soyuz TM-33 2001

Reinhold Ewald (DE) Soyuz TM-25 1997

Léopold Eyharts (FR) Pégase/Soyuz TM-27 1998 STS-122 2008

Pedro Duque (ES) STS-95 1998 Cervantes/Soyuz TMA-3 2003

Ivan Bella (SL) Soyuz TM-29 1999

Gerhard Thiele (DE) STS-99 2000

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

André Kuipers (NL) Delta/Soyuz TMA-4 2004 PromISSe/Soyuz TMA-03M 2011

Christer Fuglesang (SE) Celsius/STS-116 2006 Alissé/STS-128 2009

Paolo Nespoli (IT) STS-120 2007 MagISStra/Soyuz TMA-20 2010

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

Alexander Gerst (DE) Blue Dot/Soyuz TMA-13M 2014

Samantha Cristoforetti (IT) Futura/Soyuz TMA-15M 2014

Andreas Mogensen (DK) Iriss/Soyuz TMA-18M 2015

Timothy Peake (GB) Principia/Soyuz TMA-19M 2015

11

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

THE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS OF TOMORROW

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.

ESA’S BUDGET BY PROGRAMME IN 2015 (MEURO)

*includes Third Party Activities

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.

12

ESA’S 22 MEMBER STATES ARE:

20 states of the EU Austria BelgiumCzech Republic DenmarkEstonia Finland France Germany Greece HungaryIreland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Spain Sweden United Kingdom

plus Norway and Switzerland. 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 long-standing Cooperation Agreement.

headquartersLocated in Paris, home to the main programme directorates that steer and formulate ESA policy.

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

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

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

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

esacThe European Space Astronomy Centre, near Madrid, Spain, hosts the science operation centres and archives for ESA’s astronomy and planetary missions.

eacThe European Astronaut Centre, Cologne, Germany, trains astronauts for missions to the International Space Station and beyond.

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

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

An ESA Communications ProductionCopyright © 2015 European Space Agency

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