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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The Galileo Full Operational Constellation (FOC) satellite being removed from the Phenix test chamber on 29 November 2013 after five weeks of thermal–vacuum testing. The satellite’s main navigation antenna can be clearly seen, covered in silver-coloured multilayer-insulation, with its gridded retroreflector visible to the left and search and rescue antenna to the right. The projecting gold-coloured item is its C-band receiver, used to pick up navigation correction messages from uplink stations on the ground. (Released with endorsement of the ESA Security Office)