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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Taking in situ measurements of ice and snow are an essential part of the calibration and validation programme for the CryoSat mission. Here a neutron probe is lowered into a hole drilled in the ice. It collects essential data on snow and ice density layering to help understand the radar signals from the satellite and ultimately transform the height measurements into net change in ice mass, the main goal of CryoSat.