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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This Envisat image features an ice-covered Aral Sea, located on the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. Once the world’s fourth-largest lake, the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking over the past 50 years. Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument
acquired this image on 6 March 2008.