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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On Friday 23 June, Euclid was secured to the adaptor of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Engineers fastened the satellite to the adaptor that will be placed on the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, which will launch Euclid into space. ESA’s new cosmological mission Euclid is getting ready for lift-off with a target launch date of 1 July 2023 from Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA).
ESA's Euclid mission is designed to help us uncover the great cosmic mystery of dark matter and dark energy. The space telescope will observe more than a third of the sky with unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy. It will chart the shape, position and movement of billions of galaxies out to 10 billion light-years to create the largest, most accurate 3D map of the Universe across space and time. This will reveal how matter is distributed across immense distances and how the expansion of the Universe has evolved over cosmic history, enabling scientists to pin down the properties of dark energy and dark matter and uncover their elusive nature.