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
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
The Sun as seen through SOHO’s LASCO C2 telescope at 06:24 GMT today, on the 20th anniversary of the satellite’s launch.
The small white circle in the centre of the image indicates the position and size of the Sun behind the telescope's occulting 'coronograph mask', seen as the wider disc. The mask blocks out the dazzling light that otherwise drowns out this region, allowing details of the corona – the Sun's dynamic outer atmosphere – to be seen.