Liftoff Videos

Every mission, with the videos that tell it

ESA

The European Space Agency is an international organisation of 23 member states, founded in 1975 and headquartered in Paris. Its 2026 budget was around 8.3 billion euros. It takes part in the International Space Station and in NASA’s Artemis programme, where it supplies the European Service Module that powers the Orion spacecraft. It also launches and runs uncrewed missions to the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, comets and asteroids, builds space telescopes and Earth observation satellites, and works on asteroid impact avoidance. Its spaceport is the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana, and Ariane 6, operated through Arianespace, is its launcher.

Events

Videos on this topic

The videos, in date order

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  1. Cassini’s Grand Finale: 22 Dives Between Saturn and Its Rings

    NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

  2. Hubble Space Telescope: Launch, Mirror Flaw and Servicing Fixes

    NASA Goddard

  3. Webb’s Christmas Day Launch on Ariane 5: Countdown to Separation

    NASA

  4. André Kuipers’ Extended ISS Stay and Alexander Gerst’s Training

    Spark

  5. Euclid Launch on Falcon 9: ESA’s Dark Universe Telescope Lifts Off

    SpaceX

  6. Crew-7 Launch: First Dragon Flight With Four Agencies Aboard

    SpaceX

  7. How the ISS Works: Air, Cooling, Power and Debris Defence

    National Geographic

  8. ISS Story: From Zarya’s 1998 Launch to Planned De-Orbit

    DW Documentary

  9. Why the ISS Will Be Deorbited at Point Nemo and What Comes Next

    Curious Droid

  10. How Webb Works: Infrared Design, Build and Ariane 5 Launch

    Jared Owen

  11. Inside the ISS: How the Station Is Built, Powered and Lived In

    SLICE Science

  12. How the ISS Will Be Destroyed at Point Nemo in 2030

    The B1M

  13. ISS History: Assembly, Crises and the Plan to Deorbit by 2030

    Classic Aerospace History

  14. Thomas Pesquet’s Mission Alpha: Six Months Aboard the ISS

    Free Documentary – Space

  15. Space Stations from Salyut 1 to Tiangong and Beyond

    Supernova

  16. ISS Module Tour: Columbus, Kibo, Destiny and Zvezda in POV

    NASA

  17. Electron Launches ESA’s Celeste IOD Satellites to 510 km Orbit

    Rocket Lab

  18. Inside the ISS: Building, Training and Science in Orbit

    Free Documentary – Space

  19. Menon and Adenot Swap a Failed ISS Space-to-Ground Antenna

    NASA

  20. Spacewalk 98: Menon and Adenot Swap a Failed ISS Antenna

    NASA

  21. Spacewalk 99: Adenot and Meir Replace Harmony Retroreflector

    NASA

  22. Vega C Launches FLEX and Sentinel-3C on a Shared Flight

    European Space Agency, ESA

  23. Crew-12 Pre-Departure Briefing: Spacewalks, Science and Going Home

    NASA

  24. Smile: How ESA and China Built a Satellite in Two Years

    European Space Agency, ESA

  25. YES2: How a 31.7 km Tether Was Meant to Drop a Capsule

    Scott Manley

  26. Crew-12 Farewell: Jessica Meir Hands ISS Command to Dubrov

    NASA

  27. Crew-12 Leaves the ISS: Dragon Freedom Undocking and Departure

    NASA

  28. Crew-12 Leaves the ISS: Hatch Closure Aboard Dragon Freedom

    NASA

  29. Hera at Didymos: Plan for Two CubeSats and a Close Asteroid Look

    European Space Agency, ESA

  30. Crew-12 Leaves the ISS: Dragon Freedom Undocking Step by Step

    European Space Agency, ESA

  31. Crew-12 Hatch Closure: Dragon Freedom Readies to Leave the ISS

    European Space Agency, ESA

  32. Starship Flight 14 Reaches Orbit and Three Falcons Fly in One Day

    Scott Manley

  33. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Re-Entry & Splashdown

    NASA

  34. Crew-12 Return: Dragon Freedom Splashdown Off Los Angeles

    European Space Agency, ESA

  35. Sophie Adenot Back in Europe After 237 Days on the ISS

    European Space Agency, ESA

  36. Crew-12 Crew Look Back on 237 Days Aboard the ISS

    NASA

  37. Galileo: How Europe Built Its Own Satellite Navigation System

    European Space Agency, ESA

  38. Deep Space Updates: MMX to Phobos, Crew-12 Return, Neutron Delay

    Scott Manley

  39. Artemis III: Orion Docks With Blue Moon and Starship in Orbit

    The Space Race

  40. Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

    The Record Institute
Play video: Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

The Record Institute

Duration 10:37

Watch video

Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

All the videos

  1. Artemis III: Orion Docks With Blue Moon and Starship in Orbit

    Mission explainerThe Space Race · 20:04

    Mission: Artemis III

  2. ISS History: Assembly, Crises and the Plan to Deorbit by 2030

    DocumentaryClassic Aerospace History · 1:13:57

  3. Crew-12 Leaves the ISS: Dragon Freedom Undocking Step by Step

    Launch coverageEuropean Space Agency, ESA · 43:30

    Mission: Crew-12

  4. Hera at Didymos: Plan for Two CubeSats and a Close Asteroid Look

    Mission explainerEuropean Space Agency, ESA · 4:22

    Mission: Hera

  5. Sophie Adenot Back in Europe After 237 Days on the ISS

    Press briefingEuropean Space Agency, ESA · 10:45

    Mission: Crew-12

  6. Crew-12 Crew Look Back on 237 Days Aboard the ISS

    Press briefingNASA · 39:56

    Mission: Crew-12

  7. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Re-Entry & Splashdown

    Launch coverageNASA · 2:19:07

    Mission: Crew-12

  8. Crew-12 Leaves the ISS: Dragon Freedom Undocking and Departure

    Launch coverageNASA · 45:14

    Mission: Crew-12

  9. Crew-12 Leaves the ISS: Hatch Closure Aboard Dragon Freedom

    Launch coverageNASA · 38:44

    Mission: Crew-12

  10. Crew-12 Farewell: Jessica Meir Hands ISS Command to Dubrov

    Press briefingNASA · 12:07

    Mission: Crew-12

  11. Crew-12 Return: Dragon Freedom Splashdown Off Los Angeles

    Launch coverageEuropean Space Agency, ESA · 2:17:40

    Mission: Crew-12

  12. Galileo: How Europe Built Its Own Satellite Navigation System

    DocumentaryEuropean Space Agency, ESA · 50:54

    Mission: Galileo

  13. Cassini’s Grand Finale: 22 Dives Between Saturn and Its Rings

    Mission explainerNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory · 3:40

    Mission: Cassini

  14. How the ISS Works: Air, Cooling, Power and Debris Defence

    DocumentaryNational Geographic · 44:25

  15. Webb’s Christmas Day Launch on Ariane 5: Countdown to Separation

    Launch coverageNASA · 2:17:30

    Mission: James Webb Space Telescope (2021)

  16. Hubble Space Telescope: Launch, Mirror Flaw and Servicing Fixes

    DocumentaryNASA Goddard · 51:16

    Mission: Hubble Space Telescope

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