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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Just as driverless cars could be the future of the automotive industry, captain-less ships could be the future of the shipping industry. Autonomous shipping has the potential to significantly lower the cost of shipping, increase safety, solve anticipated crew shortages, and improve working conditions.
But autonomous shipping relies on an accurate and continuously-available navigation system. ESA's Discovery & Preparation has supported studies into how to enhance existing satellite navigation systems to enable autonomous shipping, for example by combining them with ground-based systems to improve positioning accuracy.