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 topicLulenga, an eleven-year-old mountain gorilla, chews part of the roughly 30 pounds of foliage he eats daily Tuesday, Sept. 23, 1997, in Congo's Virunga National Park in far eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Lulenga has led his group since his father Rugabo was killed by poachers in 1995. There are about 610 mountain gorillas left in the world, most of whom thrive in this relatively small volcanic forest habitat preserved by the park, which overlaps into the neighboring countries Rwanda and Uganda.