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 topicThis colour composite image of Saturn's moon Iapetus from Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) was obtained on 31 December 2004, at a distance of 121 000 kilometres, with a spatial resolution of about 60 kilometres.
The three colours used in the mosaic correspond to 1.01, 3.21, and 3.80 microns. The upper bright blue region is rich in water ice, while the lower, dark brown region is composed mainly of a substance rich in organic material. The yellow region consists of a mixture of ice and organics, suggesting a gradual change in composition on the surface.