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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Space exploration of the solar system brings greater knowledge of the planets, satellites and other celestial bodies.
The Voyager-1 encounter with Saturn and its moons in 1980 created a strong incentive to return to this fascinating and mysterious planet. A more challenging mission was planned: a spacecraft and probe would sample the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, and investigate its surface. Thus came into being the Cassini-Huygens mission.
The outcome of excellent cooperation between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), this mission was probably the most ambitious planetary mission ever.
After a successful launch on 15 October 1997, the spacecraft safely reached Saturn on 1 July 2004, sending back initial breathtaking images of Saturn’s atmosphere, rings, and satellites. On 14 January, Cassini gently parachuted Huygens onto the surface of Titan. Europe was presenting the world with a first.