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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35 micrometre silver interconnector, from ESA's original Hubble solar blanket design, following exposure to the space environment during the STS-4 flight, shown at 20x magnification. A dark grey surface with flakes can be seen. Atomic oxygen degradation was such a serious problem that the solar blankets had to be completely redesigned before their eventual flight.