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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The Westerbork radio station in the Netherlands, consisting of 14 dish-shaped antennas, 25 metres in diameter each, is one of the most powerful radio observatories in the world.
Part of the European Very Large Based Interferometry (VLBI) network of radio telescopes, Westerbork and other European radio stations have been used to track the SMART-1 spacecraft in its orbit around the Moon in a test campaign conducted in May 2006. The same network of telescopes will now track SMART-1 until the end of its mission, due to take place through a small lunar impact on 3 September 2006.