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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According to recent surveys, Austfonna – the largest ice cap in Svalbard – has fluctuated little over recent decades. However, a unique combination of measurements acquired by ESA’s Sentinel-1A (in April 2014) and DLR’s TerraSAR-X (in February 2014) missions has revealed an extraordinary acceleration in ice motion in the southeastern section, which is now flowing at least 10 times faster than previously measured. It remains to be seen whether the abrupt speed-up reflects natural variability in the ice cap motion, or whether it is a symptom of regional climate change. Given the astonishing success of these early mission data, we can be confident that Sentinel-1 will provide the tools to answer this intriguing question.