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 topicESA's first Earth Explorer Core mission GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) will measure high-accuracy gravity gradients and provide global models of the Earth's gravity field and of the geoid. An improved gravity-field map will provide insight into the physics and dynamics of the Earth's interior and an accurate global geoid model will contribute to an improved understanding of ocean circulation, which plays a crucial role in energy exchanges around the globe and hence climate. This mission will also lead to a greater insight into sea-level change and to a global unification of height systems.