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 target for the international Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment mission, of which ESA’s Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) is a part. In 2020 AIM will head to the paired Didymos asteroids, which will come a comparatively close 11 million km to Earth in 2022. The 800 m-diameter main body is orbited by a 170 m moon, informally called ‘Didymoon’, which will be surveyed in detail by AIM. In late 2022 the NASA-led Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) probe will crash straight into the asteroid moon at about 6 km/s.