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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A scene from the ancient southern highlands of Mars highlighting a triple crater – the elongated depression just right of centre. Measuring about 45 x 24 km, the crater is thought to have been created by the collision of a ‘triple impactor’ – perhaps from a meteoroid that broke into three after entering the atmosphere. The asymmetric nature of the ejected debris points to an impact at a low angle.
The region was imaged by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express 28 January 2017 during Mars Express Orbit 16565. The image is centred on 198°E / 27°S and the ground resolution is about 22 m per pixel. It was created using data from the nadir channel, the field of view which is aligned perpendicular to the surface of Mars, and the camera’s colour channels. North is to the right.