ESA MISSION UPDATE
As a result of the latest International Space Station Multi-Lateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) recently held in Houston, ESA has today announced that the European crewmember of Expedition 30/31 to fly to the International Space Station in 2011 will be André Kuipers from the Netherlands.
Therefore, as already stated by ESA’s Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain on several occasions, an astronaut of German nationality will be assigned to the following opportunity for an ESA astronaut to fly on board the ISS on a six-month mission. ESA plans to obtain the agreement of the ISS partners to accommodate the following opportunity in the 2013-2014 timeframe.