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!
ESA's contribution to the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn is the Titan atmospheric probe, named Huygens after the eminent Dutch scientist.Huygens, in addition to his cultural pursuits, also studied law and mathematics, and conducted experiments in mechanics and optics. Huygens discovered Saturn's large moon Titan in 1655, and was also the first to deduce that Saturn was surrounded by a ring. He invented the pendulum clock, the first accurate time-keeping device, and was chosen as 'primus inter pares' ('first among equals') to organise the Academie Royale des Sciences in Paris when it was founded in 1666. His contribution to mathematics, astronomy, time measurement and the theory of light are considered to be of fundamental importance.Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) by Vaillant, (courtesy of Huygens museum Hofwyck, Voorburg, The Netherlands). [Image Date: 02-07-96] [96.07.002-001]