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
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On the background, this collage shows a fresco painted in 1509-1511 by Raphael in the Vatican (Stanza della Segnatura, Palazzi Pontifici), perhaps depicting the embodiment of Astronomy (copyright Photo Scala, Florence). Replacing the original astronomical globe is an image of Mars built by Freie Universität of Berlin with data from the Mars Global Surveyor's MOLA and MOC instruments (FU Berlin/MSSS and MOLA teams). The Mars globe merges into an image of X-ray sources in the Lockman Hole taken by ESA's XMM-Newton spacecraft (G.Hasinger, Astrophysikalisches Institute, Potsdam).