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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Billowing smoke from Northern California wildfires is visible in this Envisat image acquired on 25 June 2008 with the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument. Satellites are not only able to detect the smoke billowing from major fires but also the burn scars left in their wake. The fires themselves appear as 'hotspots' when the satellites’ sensors scan the Earth's surface in infrared wavelengths.