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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Simplified view of the magnetic environment around Jupiter and its moon Io. Io, the innermost of the four large moons, is illustrated with vertical magnetic field lines connecting to Jupiter. Io is a volcanic moon, and its thin sulphur dioxide atmosphere generates an ionized plasma torus around Jupiter, seen as the hazy yellow ring. Io's volcanoes release around one tonne of sulphur dioxide every second. These become ionised and picked up by Jupiter’s fast-rotating magnetic field.