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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Meridiani Planum at the northern edge of the southern highlands of Mars. It lies between the volcanic Tharsis Region to the west and the low-lying Hellas Planitia impact basin to the south-east. Through a telescope, Meridiani Planum is a striking, dark feature, close to the martian equator. It extends 127 km by 63 km and covers an area of roughly 8000 sq km, similar in size to Cyprus. The High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), onboard ESA’s Mars Express, took this image. It was obtained on 1 September 2005, during orbit 2097, and possesses a resolution of approximately 13 metres per pixel. The image was derived from the HRSC nadir channel, which provides the highest detail of all the channels.