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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Venus shines like a bright beacon through the rings of Saturn in this unique image taken by the international Cassini spacecraft on 10 November 2012 when the spacecraft was placed in the shadow of Saturn. This allowed Cassini to look in the direction of the Sun and take a backlit image of the planet and its rings. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 802 000 km from Saturn and looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 17 degrees below the ring plane. The image scale is 44 km per pixel.