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
Go to topicAlphabus, the platform on which Alphasat is based, is Europe’s response to the worldwide market demand for larger telecommunication payloads aimed at direct-to-home TV broadcasting, digital audio broadcasting, broadband access and mobile services.
It was jointly developed by Thales Alenia Space and Astrium, and is available on the market to accommodate payloads with up to 22 kW of power and a mass of up to 2 tonnes. It has a typical payload capacity of 230 transponders, which is equivalent to more than 1000 television and 200 000 audio channels.