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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In 2002 Envisat captured the disintegration of the 200m-thick Larsen-B Ice Shelf, floating ice attached to the Antartic Peninusla and stable for the last 12,000 years.
he Antarctic Peninsula has experienced exceptional atmospheric warming over the last decades, triggering the retreat and break-up of the ice shelves.
The 3250 km2 chunk of ice fractured into thousands of small icebergs drifting eastwards into the Weddell Sea. This kind of break up is quite different from the periodic calving processes taking place 1000 km further south which have led to the presence of the large drifting icebergs seen in the image.