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, taken with the Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) on board ESA’s Venus Express shows small convection cells downstream of the point where the sunlight hits the planet perpendicularly (sub-solar point), at 10º north, 125º east, 13:16 Local Solar Time.
The picture was taken in the ultraviolet, at 365 nanometres, while Venus Express was in orbit at an altitude of 5500 km from the surface on 26 December 2006.