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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This is the antenna that will transmit back the first close-up images of the distant Dimorphos asteroid since its orbit was shifted by a collision with NASA’s DART spacecraft.
The 1.13-m diameter High Gain Antenna of ESA’s Hera mission went through a week-long test campaign at the Compact Antenna Test Range, part of the Agency’s ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands.
Located on the exterior of the spacecraft, the High Gain Antenna is especially susceptible to accelerations during launch and the high and low temperatures experienced in space – for added protection against the latter, the antenna will be flown covered in a Kapton-Germanium sunshield, seen here, that provides thermal isolation while radio waves can still pass through it.