The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Up to several times a day, a ‘solar flare’ erupts from the Sun, accelerating high-energy electrons into space (red dashed line). These electrons release radio waves as they interact with other charged particles around the Sun (green circles). The radio waves are detected by the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft (wavy green lines).
The graph on the right shows real data from Solar Orbiter’s Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument. As the electrons move further into space, away from the Sun, there are fewer charged particles to interact with, and the radio frequency drops. The ‘hockey stick’ shape is a real radio burst in action!