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 2003 ‘precovery’ image of asteroid 2016 WJ1, which was ‘refound’ in 2016 by the Catalina Sky Survey. The asteroid appears as a faint spot between two bright stars. The orbit of 2016 WJ is rather peculiar, having both nodes – the two intersections of the asteroid’s orbit plane with the orbit plane of Earth – very close to Earth’s orbital radius.