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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Envisat captures vibrant aquamarine-coloured swirls of a plankton bloom decorating the waters of the South Atlantic Ocean just off the shores of the Republic of Namibia. Plankton play a similar role to terrestrial ‘green’ plants in the photosynthetic process and are credited with removing as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as their earthbound counterparts, making it important to monitor and model plankton into calculations of future climate change.
Image acquired 6 November July 2007 by the MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) instrument aboard ESA’s Envisat satellite.