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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ESA's ambitious Technology Strategy includes targets such as a 30% decrease in spacecraft development time by 2023, and improving cost efficiency by an order of magnitude with each space system generation. Reaching these targets requires more than just technology improvement; a change in the development process is also required.
“Model-based system engineering is a set of technologies that ensure digital continuity throughout a mission’s life cycle, across disciplines and throughout supply chains,” explains ESA System Engineer Jean-Loup Terraillon. “Like the transition from analogue to digital, the transition from documentation to models will enable space projects to be ten times more efficient.”