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 image was taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft on 20 April 2005. It is a composite of two views of Mars Express taken from distances of about 250 and 370 kilometres.
Mars Express appears as a narrow blur rather than as a well-defined spacecraft shape, about 1.5 metres high and 15 metres long, which is consistent with the viewing distance, pixel scale and encounter geometry.
The MOC can resolve features on the surface of Mars as small as few metres from an orbital altitude of 350 to 405 kilometres. It can resolve objects smaller than one metre across from an altitude of 100 kilometres.