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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South polar layered deposit (SPLD) on Mars.
The Mars Express radar experiment, MARSIS, was designed to penetrate deep and it has delivered on its promise. The above figure shows the base of the SPLD at the deepest recorded point of 3.7 km. In contrast, The Shallow Subsurface Radar (SHARAD) on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter designed as a high-resolution radar for a maximum penetration of 1 km has difficulty detecting the SPLD base. The two complementary instruments work together to discover hidden martian secrets.