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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In Ottobrunn, Germany, ESA’s laser satellite EDRS-C is undergoing final testing at Airbus before being shipped to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.
EDRS-C is the second node in the European Data Relay System, a unique public–private partnership between ESA and Airbus.
The system – dubbed the SpaceDataHighway by industry – provides data relay between low Earth orbiting satellites and the EDRS nodes over optical links, with the information sent down to Europe in near-real time.