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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Gaia orbits the second Lagrange Point (L2) in a Lissajous orbit. The James Webb Space Telescope orbits L2 in a halo orbit. The telescopes are between 400 000 and 1 100 000 km apart, depending on where they are in their respective orbits.
This image shows the relative sizes and locations of the Gaia orbit (yellow) and the Webb orbit (white). In this view Earth is located to the left, not far outside of the frame. Gaia’s Lissajous loops have L2 right in their centre, while Webb’s halo orbit loops are closer to Earth by about 100 000 km on average.