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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Artist’s impression of starburst galaxy HFLS3. The galaxy appears as little more than a faint, red smudge in images from ESA’s Herschel space observatory, but appearances can be deceiving for it is making stars more than 2000 times faster than our own Milky Way, one of the highest star formation rates ever seen in any galaxy. Amazingly, it is seen at a time when the Universe was less than a billion years old, challenging galaxy evolution theories.
Read the full story: Star factory in the early Universe challenges galaxy evolution theory