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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Saving lives from space: Below the navigation antenna is a smaller hexagonal-shaped antenna incorporating six protruding elements. This is Galileo’s Search and Rescue antenna – part of the international Cospas-Sarsat programme. It picks up SOS signals from emergency beacons down on the ground and relays them on to a ground station for forwarding to local emergency services – contributing to the saving of more than 2000 lives annually. Galileo’s Search and Rescue payload can detect activated beacons in less than five minutes, pinning down their location to within one or two kilometres, additionally performing ‘return link’ messaging – replying to the beacon to inform those in peril that help is on the way.
#TwelveThingsYouNeverKnewAboutGalileoSatellites