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 22 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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Engineers assemble the Herschel's combined Solar array and sunshade in the cleanroom facility at ESTEC, Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The array is shaped around the central cryostat to provide both extended shielding of the cryostat from the sun and the electrical power for the mission. The solar array provides the spacecraft with 1900 W of power.