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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This artist’s impression shows a ‘red-giant’ star ejecting matter. Stars with masses close to that of our Sun become ‘red-giant’ stars in the later stages of their life. The radius of a red-giant star expands to a size comparable to the orbit of the Earth, and the matters at the surface of the star flows out and escapes. Dust is formed in the out-flowing gas when the temperature decreases. This mixture of gas and dust is blown away from the central star, and expands into space. The dust cloud seen by the infrared satellite AKARI in U Hydrae was formed about 10 000 years ago by an intense mass ejection, and it reached an extension of about 0.3 light years.