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About ESA

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.

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ESA - United space in Europe

This is ESA ESA facts Member States & Cooperating States Funding Director General Top management For Member State Delegations European vision European Space Policy ESA & EU Space Councils Responsibility & Sustainability Annual Report Calendar of meetings Corporate news

Establishments & sites

ESA Headquarters ESA ESTEC ESA ESOC ESA ESRIN ESA EAC ESA ESAC Europe's Spaceport ESA ESEC ESA ECSAT Brussels Office Washington Office

Working with ESA

Business with ESA ESA Commercialisation Gateway Law at ESA Careers Cyber resilience at ESA IT at ESA Newsroom Partnerships Merchandising Licence Education Open Space Innovation Platform Integrity and Reporting Administrative Tribunal Health and Safety

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History ESA Historical Archives Exhibitions Publications Art & Culture ESA Merchandise Kids Diversity ESA Brand Centre ESA Champions

Latest

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Space Safety

Space Debris: Is it a Crisis?

01/04/2025 966 views 32 likes
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Space debris surrounding Earth
Space Safety

ESA Space Environment Report 2025

01/04/2025 3149 views 15 likes
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ESA Impact 2025 - Q1 for link

Read the latest edition of ESA Impact

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Applications

Biomass cleared for fuelling

31/03/2025 330 views 10 likes
Biomass cleared for fuelling
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Press Release N° 24–2024
Science & Exploration

ESA and NASA join forces to land Europe’s rover on Mars

ESA and NASA are consolidating their cooperation on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission with an agreement that ensures important US contributions, such as the launch service, elements of the propulsion system needed for landing on Mars and heater units for the Rosalind Franklin rover.
16/05/2024 4403 views
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Space in Member States

Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.

Germany Germany Austria Austria Belgium Belgium Denmark Denmark Spain Spain Estonia Estonia Finland Finland France France Greece Greece Hungary Hungary Ireland Ireland Italy Italy Luxembourg Luxembourg Norway Norway The Netherlands The Netherlands Poland Poland Portugal Portugal Czechia Czechia Romania Romania United Kingdom United Kingdom Slovenia Slovenia Sweden Sweden Switzerland Switzerland

Science & Exploration

Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe

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Programmes

Space Science Human and Robotic Exploration

Astronauts

Sophie Adenot
Pablo Álvarez Fernández
Rosemary Coogan
Samantha Cristoforetti
Alexander Gerst
Raphaël Liégeois
Matthias Maurer
Andreas Mogensen
Luca Parmitano
Thomas Pesquet
Marco Sieber

Missions

Juice Euclid Webb Solar Orbiter BepiColombo Gaia ExoMars Cheops Exoplanet missions More missions

Activities

International Space Station Orion service module Gateway Concordia Caves & Pangaea Benefits

Latest

Story
Artist view: ExoMars lander
Science & Exploration

ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover will have a European landin…

30/03/2025 2008 views 31 likes
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Video 00:05:23
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Science & Exploration

Gaia: Rewriting the story of the Milky Way

28/03/2025 1649 views 50 likes
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Image
Science & Exploration

Webb spies a spiral through a cosmic lens

27/03/2025 13101 views 141 likes
Spying a spiral through a cosmic lens (Webb telescope image)
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Press Release N° 49–2024
Science & Exploration

ESA 3D prints first metal part on the International Space Station

The first metal 3D printer in space, a collaboration between ESA and Airbus, has printed its first metal product on the International Space Station, a breakthrough in crew autonomy for future long-duration exploration missions.
06/09/2024 3227 views
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Science & Exploration

Space science from home: resources for children and adults

A selection of activities to pass time and learn more about space science

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Space Safety

Protecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit

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About safety and security

Protecting our Pale Blue Dot The story so far Plans for the future

Asteroids

Asteroids and Planetary Defence Asteroid danger explained Flyeye telescope: asteroid detection Hera mission: asteroid deflection Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre

Space junk

About space debris Space debris by the numbers Space Environment Report In space refuelling, refurbishing and removing

Safety from space

Clean Space ecodesign Zero Debris Technologies Space for Earth Supporting Sustainable Development

Space weather

Solar Hazards ESA Vigil: providing solar warning Space Weather Warning Network

Latest

Video 01:07:58
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Space Safety

Media briefing: Europe's top experts address the growing th…

01/04/2025 68 views 1 likes
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Story
Space debris surrounding Earth
Space Safety

ESA Space Environment Report 2025

01/04/2025 3149 views 15 likes
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Image
Space Safety

Hera Mars flyby

10/03/2025 4410 views 86 likes
Hera Mars flyby
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Space Safety

James Webb Space Telescope will study asteroid 2024 YR4

Webb will provide a more accurate estimate of the asteroid's size

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Applications

Using space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth

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Observing the Earth

Observing the Earth Future EO Copernicus Meteorology Space for our climate Satellite missions

Connectivity

Connectivity and Secure Communications ARTES Moonlight Civil security from space

Satellite navigation

Satellite navigation Galileo EGNOS NAVISP Genesis LEO-PNT

Commercialisation

ESA Commercialisation Gateway Open Space Innovation Platform Business Incubation ESA Space Solutions

Latest

Story
Arctic Weather Satellite introduces a new channel
Applications

ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite hailed as excellent

31/03/2025 2054 views 44 likes
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Image
Applications

Earth from Space: Waza National Park, Cameroon

28/03/2025 1012 views 29 likes
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission captures the striking landscape surrounding the Waza National Park in Cameroon.
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Applications

ESA’s Space Systems for Safety and Security (4S) programme

20/11/2024 1837 views 20 likes
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Press Release N° 1–2024
Applications

Media invitation: Last chance to see the EarthCARE cloud and aerosol satellite in Europe

On 1 February, media representatives have the unique opportunity of seeing  the EarthCARE satellite up close in the cleanroom at Airbus facilities in Friedrichshafen, Germany, before the spacecraft is packed up and shipped to California, USA, for a launch scheduled in May.
11/01/2024 4040 views
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ESA Φ-week 2021
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Register for Φ-week

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Enabling & Support

Making space accessible and developing the technologies for the future

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Building missions

Space Engineering and Technology Test centre Laboratories Concurrent Design Facility Preparing for the future Shaping the Future Discovery and Preparation Advanced Concepts Team

Space transportation

Space Transportation Ariane Vega Space Rider Future space transportation Boost! Europe's Spaceport Launches from Europe's Spaceport from 2012

Flying missions

Operations ESA ground stations Ground Systems Engineering

Latest

Story
Spectrum liftoff
Enabling & Support

Spectrum takes flight and clears the launch pad

30/03/2025 4070 views 62 likes
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Image
Enabling & Support

Inner space engineering

21/03/2025 1372 views 35 likes
Inner space engineering
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Video 00:02:27
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Enabling & Support

Proba-3 lift-off replay

05/12/2024 3142 views 64 likes
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Juice approaches Earth
Enabling & Support

Blog: Juice's lunar-Earth flyby

Follow for the latest updates as ESA's Jupiter mission swings through the Earth system this summer

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Press Release N° 8–2024
Enabling & Support

Call for interest: Ariane 6 launch media events at Europe’s Spaceport

Media representatives are invited to express their interest in attending media events at Europe's Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, for the first flight of Europe's new rocket Ariane 6. Journalists wishing to participate in either or both the pre-launch and launch media programmes detailed below, are asked to submit their application via ESA’s media accreditation page by Friday 1 March 2024.
19/02/2024 2424 views
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Enabling & Support

Space Engineering & Technology

Space Engineering & Technology

Latest

Focus on

TEC Business to Business website

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Proba-3’s Coronagraph spacecraft captured by a camera onboard the Occulter spacecraft during the mission's first autonomous formation acquisition
Enabling & Support

Proba-3's first autonomous formation flight

27/03/2025 2356 views 44 likes
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Story
Hera's autonomous surface feature tracking during Mars flyby
Space Safety

Hera asteroid mission tested self-driving technique at Mars

25/03/2025 1926 views 34 likes
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Image
Enabling & Support

Inner space engineering

21/03/2025 1372 views 35 likes
Inner space engineering
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Story
Sir Brian May and the rest of Hera's science team see Mars image arrive
Space Safety

Hera asteroid mission spies Mars’s Deimos moon

13/03/2025 19369 views 126 likes
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Video 00:02:43
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Space Safety

Sped-up simulation of Hera’s Mars flyby

11/03/2025 1422 views 43 likes
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Story
Hera swings by Mars
Space Safety

Watch live: Images from Hera’s Mars flyby

10/03/2025 24218 views 113 likes
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Space Safety

Hera Mars flyby

10/03/2025 4410 views 86 likes
Hera Mars flyby
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Space Safety

Hera: Target Deimos

10/03/2025 3317 views 75 likes
Hera: Target Deimos
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Image
Enabling & Support

Close-up of Proba-3’s Coronagraph, ready to dance

07/03/2025 1220 views 30 likes
Close-up of Proba-3’s Coronagraph, ready to dance
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Story
Perfect placement for Smile’s payload module
Science & Exploration

When two become one: engineers get Smile ready for launch

06/03/2025 1862 views 47 likes
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Image
Science & Exploration

Metal made in space lands on Earth

27/02/2025 17542 views 123 likes
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Video 00:00:46
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Enabling & Support

Space weather station

07/02/2025 792 views 22 likes
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Video 00:02:32
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Enabling & Support

The power of two: Proba-3

05/12/2024 1362 views 19 likes
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Video 00:02:27
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Enabling & Support

Proba-3 lift-off replay

05/12/2024 3142 views 64 likes
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    How do you build a spaceship?

    01/04/2019 9134 views 95 likes
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    Hera: ESA’s planetary defence mission

    25/06/2019 23602 views 317 likes
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    Agency

    1: 11 steps to make a space mission

    01/04/2019 4828 views 20 likes
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    1: 11 steps to make a space mission
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What we do

Directorate of Technology, Engineering and Quality (TEC)

Engineering

Engineering for space Support to projects Ensuring quality

Cross-cutting initiatives

About Cross-cutting initiatives Clean Space Design 2 Produce Advanced Manufacturing Technology Breakthroughs for Science (TEBS) Technologies for Exploration Space and Energy

Electrical

Electrical engineering Control Systems Data Systems RF Payloads & Technology Electromagnetics and Space Environment Power Systems

Mechanical

Mechanical engineering Thermal Control Structures and Mechanisms Mechatronics and Optics, incl. robotics and life support Propulsion and Aerothermodynamics

Systems

Systems and software engineering Software Systems Systems Engineering, incl. cost engineering

Product Assurance

Product Assurance Flight Safety Dependability Quality Management and Assurance Materials and Processes Electronic Components Software Product Assurance

Standards

Requirements and standards European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) European Space Components Coordination (ESCC)

Technology

Going up Giant leaps
Technology Harmonisation

Directorate Technology programmes

About Directorate Technology Programmes Technology Development Element Programme (TDE) General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) Technology Transfer and Patent Office (TTPO) European Components Initiative (ECI)

Technology in domain programmes

Technology in domain programmes

Services

ESA Conferences

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Test Centre

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Laboratories

Laboratories

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Concurrent Design Facility

Designing future space missions

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