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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Mosaic art installed at ESA’s spacecraft operations centre ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany. French artist Invader is installing his iconic art at ESA establishments all over Europe and even on the International Space Station.
The European Space Operations Centre ensures the smooth working of spacecraft in orbit. Its control rooms, linked to ground stations all over the world, track and control satellites, and carry out payload operations and routine systems monitoring.
After ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti found a space invader called ‘Space2’ in the Columbus space laboratory, the space-themed art has appeared at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany and at ESA’s Redu Centre in Belgium, where satellites are controlled and tested as part of ESA’s ground station network.
Mission control believes Invader will organise more invasions and activate aliens at other ESA establishments throughout the year. Follow their progress on Twitter via #space2iss and #SpaceInvader.