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 the lower Niger River system in the West African country of Nigeria, where the Niger River (left) and the Benue River merge (centre image). With a length of 4180 km, the Niger River – the longest and largest river in West Africa – is the third longest river in Africa, after the Nile and Congo. Before emptying into the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean, the Niger forms a wide, fan-shaped delta that holds some of the world’s richest oil deposits. Image acquired on 12 December 2007 by the MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) instrument aboard ESA’s Envisat satellite.