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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Staying in touch with each another always, no matter whereabouts on Earth, is crucial for everything from driverless cars to remote healthcare, electronically enabled commerce, tele-education and remote working.
Maintaining such connections relies not only on next-generation terrestrial 5G networks but also on satellites to make the connection when people and devices are in hard-to-reach areas.
ESA is working with satellite communications company OneWeb, the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey and CGI, one of the largest IT and business services firms in the world, to showcase a space-enabled 5G network that tests the integration of satellites in low Earth orbit and terrestrial mobile 5G networks.
The 5G pilot test project forms part of ESA’s Sunrise Partnership Project with support from the UK Space Agency.
The consortium will further develop how satellites in low Earth orbit can bring fast and high-bandwidth connectivity to those areas that are currently impossible to reach via traditional terrestrial services.