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 22 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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Note: these animations show a previous version of the Hera spacecraft
If an asteroid were ever headed our way, what could we do about it?
The international Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission is aimed at testing whether it is possible to shift the orbit of an asteroid by impacting it at great speed. Having this technique ready to be employed should the need ever occur may be crucial to ensuring the safety of our planet. But will we succeed?
AIDA is a double-spacecraft mission composed of the NASA DART spacecraft, which will impact the smaller body of a double-asteroid system called Didymos, and the ESA Hera spacecraft that will carry out a detailed post-impact survey, as well as study the exterior and interior properties of both bodies in the system.