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
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During the evening of 8 October 2014, ESA’s observatory on the island of Tenerife, Spain, lit up the International Space Station with a green laser, normally used for testing next-generation optical communication technologies.
The image shows the laser beam tracking the Station through a four-minute pass over the site at an altitude of about 420 km.
ESA’s Optical Ground Station is located at the Teide Observatory, which is operated by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.
The demonstration was conducted as part of ESA’s #SpaceOptics SocialSpace event of 7–8 October.
More photos via bit.ly/spaceoptics2014
Timelapse video of the Station reflecting green via YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4efd_OPwKrY