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
Go to topicESA’s ESAIL microsatellite expands the LuxSpace (Luxembourg) product range using innovative technologies for the next generation of space-enabled identification and global tracking of ships. The first mission to launch is developed by LuxSpace as the satellite prime contractor and operated by mission prime exactEarth of Canada.
ESAIL will enhance exactEarth’s current SAT-AIS satellite constellation. It features advanced antennas and signal processing abilities, enabling it to downlink raw data received from ships for processing on the ground.
The satellite is designed within the 100 kg and 100 W class in order to handle large amounts of AIS messages and data and still be suitable for cost-effective shared launch opportunities. It is flexible enough for deployment in different orbit altitudes and inclinations, and compatible with many launchers.