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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Laser system installed on the DLR Cessna Grand Caravan. The instrument comprised a laser, which emits in the near-infrared at a wavelength (envisaged for the spacecraft), a telescope collecting the reflected signal from the ground and an acquisition system to measure the relative level of returned signal. By means of simultaneously recorded GPS data, the measurements could be attributed to exact locations on the ground.