Back المركز الأوروبي لأبحاث وتكنولوجيا الفضاء Arabic Centre Europeu de Recerca i Tecnologia Espacials Catalan Europäisches Weltraumforschungs- und Technologiezentrum German Eŭropa Centro pri Kosmaj Esploro kaj Teknologio Esperanto Centro Europeo de Investigación y Tecnología Espacial Spanish ESTEC Finnish Centre européen de recherche et de technologie spatiales French European Space Research and Technology Centre ID Centro europeo per la ricerca e la tecnologia spaziale Italian 欧州宇宙技術研究センター Japanese
 Aerial view of ESA's technical centre ESTEC | |
| Abbreviation | ESTEC |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Parent organization | European Space Agency |
| Website | www |
The European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) is the European Space Agency's main technology development and test centre for spacecraft and space technology. It is situated in Noordwijk, South Holland, in the western Netherlands, although several kilometers off the village but immediately linked to the most Northern district of the nearby town Katwijk.
At ESTEC, about 2500 engineers, technicians and scientists work hands-on with mission design, spacecraft and space technology. ESTEC provides extensive testing facilities to verify the proper operation of spacecraft, such as the Large Space Simulator (LSS), acoustic and electromagnetic testing bays, multi-axis vibration tables and the ESA Propulsion Laboratory (EPL). Prior to launch, almost all of the equipment that ESA launches is tested in some degree at ESTEC.
The Space Expo is ESTEC's visitors centre. It has a permanent exhibition about space exploration.