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About ESA

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.

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ESA - United space in Europe

This is ESA ESA facts Member States & Cooperating States Funding Director General Top management For Member State Delegations European vision European Space Policy ESA & EU Space Councils Responsibility & Sustainability Annual Report Calendar of meetings Corporate news

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ESA Headquarters ESA ESTEC ESA ESOC ESA ESRIN ESA EAC ESA ESAC Europe's Spaceport ESA ESEC ESA ECSAT Brussels Office Washington Office

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Science & Exploration

ACES in space

28/04/2025 249 views 12 likes
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Biomass ready for liftoff
Applications

Biomass poised for liftoff to unveil forest secrets

28/04/2025 856 views 15 likes
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Solar Orbiter’s widest high-resolution view of the Sun

Week in images: 21-25 April 2025

Discover our week through the lens

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Lifting the canopy on Earth’s forests

23/04/2025 1198 views 41 likes
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Press Release N° 24–2024
Science & Exploration

ESA and NASA join forces to land Europe’s rover on Mars

ESA and NASA are consolidating their cooperation on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission with an agreement that ensures important US contributions, such as the launch service, elements of the propulsion system needed for landing on Mars and heater units for the Rosalind Franklin rover.
16/05/2024 4583 views
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Space in Member States

Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.

Germany Germany Austria Austria Belgium Belgium Denmark Denmark Spain Spain Estonia Estonia Finland Finland France France Greece Greece Hungary Hungary Ireland Ireland Italy Italy Luxembourg Luxembourg Norway Norway The Netherlands The Netherlands Poland Poland Portugal Portugal Czechia Czechia Romania Romania United Kingdom United Kingdom Slovenia Slovenia Sweden Sweden Switzerland Switzerland

Science & Exploration

Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe

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Programmes

Space Science Human and Robotic Exploration

Astronauts

Sophie Adenot
Pablo Álvarez Fernández
Rosemary Coogan
Samantha Cristoforetti
Alexander Gerst
Raphaël Liégeois
Matthias Maurer
Andreas Mogensen
Luca Parmitano
Thomas Pesquet
Marco Sieber

Missions

Juice Euclid Webb Solar Orbiter BepiColombo Gaia ExoMars Cheops Exoplanet missions More missions

Activities

International Space Station Orion service module Gateway Concordia Caves & Pangaea Benefits

Latest

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Science & Exploration

ACES in space

28/04/2025 249 views 12 likes
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Story
A rendering of ACES on ESA's Columbus module on the International Space Station
Science & Exploration

ACES finds its home in orbit

25/04/2025 1305 views 35 likes
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Science & Exploration

Gaia: Rewriting the story of the Milky Way

28/03/2025 2935 views 65 likes
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Press Release N° 49–2024
Science & Exploration

ESA 3D prints first metal part on the International Space Station

The first metal 3D printer in space, a collaboration between ESA and Airbus, has printed its first metal product on the International Space Station, a breakthrough in crew autonomy for future long-duration exploration missions.
06/09/2024 3428 views
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Science & Exploration

Space science from home: resources for children and adults

A selection of activities to pass time and learn more about space science

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Space Safety

Protecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit

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About safety and security

Protecting our Pale Blue Dot The story so far Plans for the future

Asteroids

Asteroids and Planetary Defence Asteroid danger explained Flyeye telescope: asteroid detection Hera mission: asteroid deflection Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre

Space junk

About space debris Space debris by the numbers Space Environment Report In space refuelling, refurbishing and removing

Safety from space

Clean Space ecodesign Zero Debris Technologies Space for Earth Supporting Sustainable Development

Space weather

Solar Hazards ESA Vigil: providing solar warning Space Weather Warning Network

Latest

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Space Safety

Media briefing: Europe's top experts address the growing th…

01/04/2025 410 views 6 likes
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Space debris surrounding Earth
Space Safety

ESA Space Environment Report 2025

01/04/2025 14174 views 36 likes
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Space Safety

Hera Mars flyby

10/03/2025 4725 views 86 likes
Hera Mars flyby
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Space Safety

James Webb Space Telescope will study asteroid 2024 YR4

Webb will provide a more accurate estimate of the asteroid's size

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Applications

Using space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth

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Observing the Earth

Observing the Earth Future EO Copernicus Meteorology Space for our climate Satellite missions

Connectivity

Connectivity and Secure Communications ARTES Moonlight Civil security from space

Satellite navigation

Satellite navigation Galileo EGNOS NAVISP Genesis LEO-PNT

Commercialisation

ESA Commercialisation Gateway Open Space Innovation Platform Business Incubation ESA Space Solutions

Latest

Story
Biomass ready for liftoff
Applications

Biomass poised for liftoff to unveil forest secrets

28/04/2025 856 views 15 likes
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Image
Applications

Earth from Space: French Guiana

25/04/2025 1215 views 36 likes
Copernicus Sentinel-1 captured this radar image over French Guiana – home to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, where ESA’s Biomass mission is being prepared for liftoff on 29 April onboard a Vega-C rocket.
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ESA’s Space Systems for Safety and Security (4S) programme

20/11/2024 2041 views 20 likes
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Press Release N° 1–2024
Applications

Media invitation: Last chance to see the EarthCARE cloud and aerosol satellite in Europe

On 1 February, media representatives have the unique opportunity of seeing  the EarthCARE satellite up close in the cleanroom at Airbus facilities in Friedrichshafen, Germany, before the spacecraft is packed up and shipped to California, USA, for a launch scheduled in May.
11/01/2024 4144 views
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ESA Φ-week 2021
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Register for Φ-week

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Enabling & Support

Making space accessible and developing the technologies for the future

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Building missions

Space Engineering and Technology Test centre Laboratories Concurrent Design Facility Preparing for the future Shaping the Future Discovery and Preparation Advanced Concepts Team

Space transportation

Space Transportation Ariane Vega Space Rider Future space transportation Boost! Europe's Spaceport Launches from Europe's Spaceport from 2012

Flying missions

Operations ESA ground stations Ground Systems Engineering

Latest

Story
P160C solid-propellant rocket motor fires on ground
Enabling & Support

P160C fires up successfully, a new chapter for Ariane 6 and…

25/04/2025 1306 views 35 likes
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Enabling & Support

Hovering over Europe’s flattest floor with AI

24/04/2025 931 views 37 likes
Hovering over Europe’s flattest floor with AI
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Enabling & Support

Proba-3 lift-off replay

05/12/2024 3339 views 64 likes
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Juice approaches Earth
Enabling & Support

Blog: Juice's lunar-Earth flyby

Follow for the latest updates as ESA's Jupiter mission swings through the Earth system this summer

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Press Release N° 8–2024
Enabling & Support

Call for interest: Ariane 6 launch media events at Europe’s Spaceport

Media representatives are invited to express their interest in attending media events at Europe's Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, for the first flight of Europe's new rocket Ariane 6. Journalists wishing to participate in either or both the pre-launch and launch media programmes detailed below, are asked to submit their application via ESA’s media accreditation page by Friday 1 March 2024.
19/02/2024 2471 views
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Copernicus Archive

Copernicus
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The Tarso Toussidé volcanic massif is featured in this false-colour composite image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
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Earth from Space: Tarso Toussidé, Chad

23/07/2021 23845 views 46 likes
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Lima, the capital and largest city of Peru, is featured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image.
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Earth from Space: Lima, Peru

16/07/2021 17517 views 43 likes
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The Gulf of Martaban in southern Myanmar is featured in this false-colour image captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2.
Applications

Earth from Space: Gulf of Martaban

09/07/2021 4579 views 41 likes
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Baltic Sea from Copernicus Sentinel-3
Applications

New satellite data techniques reveal coastal sea-level rise

07/07/2021 15815 views 112 likes
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Part of the Frisian Islands, a low-lying archipelago just off the coast of northern Europe, is visible in this image captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2.
Applications

Earth from Space: North Frisian Islands

02/07/2021 6231 views 52 likes
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The Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission takes us over Lake Mar Chiquita – an endorheic salt lake in the northeast province of Córdoba, Argentina.
Applications

Earth from Space: Lake Mar Chiquita

25/06/2021 13405 views 46 likes
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Copernicus Sentinel-6 radar altimeter
Applications

New sea-level monitoring satellite goes live

21/06/2021 11858 views 102 likes
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Story
Space App Camp 2021
Applications

Take part in ESA’s Space App Camp

21/06/2021 18063 views 48 likes
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The Tana River, Kenya’s longest river, is featured in this false-colour image captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2.
Applications

Earth from Space: Tana River

18/06/2021 15321 views 49 likes
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Chamoli disaster from space
Applications

Satellites reveal cause of Chamoli disaster

14/06/2021 7923 views 107 likes
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Chongqing, the largest municipality in China, is featured in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image.
Applications

Earth from Space: Chongqing, China

11/06/2021 7053 views 59 likes
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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Warsaw – the capital and largest city of Poland.
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Earth from Space: Warsaw, Poland

04/06/2021 5087 views 44 likes
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Living Planet Symposium 2022
Applications

Save the date: Living Planet Symposium 2022

31/05/2021 23041 views 56 likes
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All five of North America’s Great Lakes are pictured in this spectacular image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission.
Applications

Earth from Space: The Great Lakes

28/05/2021 12501 views 75 likes
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A Copernicus Sentinel-2 image of Los Cabos – a municipality on the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula.
Applications

Earth from Space: Los Cabos, Mexico

21/05/2021 5279 views 31 likes
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Story
Earth Observation Dashboard Hackathon
Applications

Join ESA, NASA and JAXA for the Earth observation COVID-19 …

20/05/2021 6321 views 73 likes
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Story
Peloponnese coastline changes
Applications

Monitoring coastal changes in Greece

18/05/2021 9299 views 120 likes
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Story
A Copernicus Sentinel-2 image over Qeshm Island – the largest island in Iran.
Applications

Earth from Space: Qeshm Island

14/05/2021 3787 views 38 likes
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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Morbihan – a French department in the south of Brittany.
Applications

Earth from Space: Morbihan, France

07/05/2021 5844 views 41 likes
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Story
Glacier avalanches in the Sedongpu region, China
Applications

Glacier avalanches more common than thought

30/04/2021 5912 views 123 likes
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Antofagasta, a port city in northern Chile, is featured in this image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
Applications

Earth from Space: Antofagasta, Chile

30/04/2021 4357 views 50 likes
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Vatnajökull glacier
Applications

Copernicus Masters 2021 submissions open

26/04/2021 5284 views 47 likes
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Story
Copernicus Sentinel-2 takes us over the sediment-stained waters in Laizhou Bay, located on the southern shores of the Bohai Sea, on the east coast of mainland China.
Applications

Earth from Space: Laizhou Bay

23/04/2021 3255 views 43 likes
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Ocean acidification
Applications

Satellites highlight a 30-year rise in ocean acidification

21/04/2021 8118 views 92 likes
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Story
Joining forces to address food security
Applications

ESA and FAO unite to tackle food security and more

20/04/2021 6835 views 61 likes
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Story
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Cape Canaveral, USA, in a region known as the Space Coast.
Applications

Earth from Space: Space Coast, Florida

16/04/2021 5398 views 41 likes
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Story
Sermersooq, Greenland
Applications

Satellite imagery key to powering Google Earth

15/04/2021 24639 views 113 likes
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Story
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Bucharest – the capital and largest city of Romania.
Applications

Earth from Space: Bucharest, Romania

09/04/2021 15272 views 60 likes
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Mount Etna smoke plumes
Applications

Satellites monitor Mount Etna’s unpredictable behaviour

08/04/2021 17111 views 102 likes
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With Easter right around the corner, we take a look at four egg-shaped buildings visible from space as captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
Applications

Earth from Space: Easter egg hunt

02/04/2021 5515 views 36 likes
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Annual mean shoreline change: Start Bay, Devon
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Measuring shoreline retreat

29/03/2021 9232 views 152 likes
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The Gariep Dam, the largest dam in South Africa, is featured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
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Earth from Space: Gariep Dam, South Africa

26/03/2021 22233 views 45 likes
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Amazon rainforest
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Earth from Space: Amazon rainforest

19/03/2021 9391 views 63 likes
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Nitrogen dioxide concentrations over China
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Air pollution returning to pre-COVID levels

15/03/2021 14522 views 146 likes
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Story
The Strait of Gibraltar is featured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
Applications

Earth from Space: Strait of Gibraltar

12/03/2021 11771 views 41 likes
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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over the Galápagos Islands – a volcanic archipelago situated some 1000 km west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean.
Applications

Earth from Space: Galápagos Islands

05/03/2021 10847 views 58 likes
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Methane hotspots over a gas pipeline in Kazakhstan
Applications

Monitoring methane emissions from gas pipelines

04/03/2021 28391 views 203 likes
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Story
Rapid Action on COVID-19 and Earth observation Dashboard Challenges 2021
Applications

Space in response to COVID-19

03/03/2021 9137 views 70 likes
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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Vancouver – the third largest city in Canada.
Applications

Earth from Space: Vancouver

26/02/2021 5865 views 42 likes
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Getz glaciers flowing faster
Applications

Getz on the run

23/02/2021 4499 views 90 likes
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Satellite radar interferometry effective for mapping crops
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Satellite radar interferometry effective for mapping crops

19/02/2021 9040 views 94 likes
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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Lusaka – the capital and largest city of Zambia.
Applications

Earth from Space: Lusaka, Zambia

19/02/2021 7119 views 43 likes
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New crack in the Brunt Ice Shelf
Applications

Is Brunt on the brink?

12/02/2021 7993 views 95 likes
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For Valentine’s Day, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Valentine Island in northern Western Australia.
Applications

Earth from Space: Valentine Island

12/02/2021 5376 views 48 likes
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Story
Tracking sea-level change
Applications

Sentinel-6 passes in-orbit tests with flying colours

08/02/2021 6573 views 70 likes
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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over the algal blooms swirling around the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of Japan.
Applications

Earth from Space: Japan in bloom

05/02/2021 5060 views 55 likes
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A-68A and A-68G
Applications

Is this the end of the A-68A iceberg?

03/02/2021 20446 views 102 likes
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Wetlands
Applications

Earth observation vital in monitoring wetland waters

02/02/2021 6269 views 88 likes
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Ahead of World Wetlands Day, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Lake Titicaca – one of the largest lakes in South America.
Applications

Earth from Space: Lake Titicaca

29/01/2021 6944 views 59 likes
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Sardinia, the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, is featured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
Applications

Earth from Space: Sardinia, Italy

27/01/2021 1132 views 1 likes
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