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!
The City of Light, Paris, France (bright grey area), located on the Seine River, is centred on this Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) image. Also visible in the upper left corner is London, England. To the right is the Strait of Dover that separates England from France and links the English Channel to the North Sea. An interesting feature is the light bluish colour of the sea around the Goodwin Sands area, which is likely to be caused by increased sedimentation. On the French side of the strait is the region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Continuing up the north is the small country of Belgium and the city of Brussels. Further north is the Netherlands.