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 Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows the city of Natal, capital of the Rio Grande do Norte state, in northeastern Brazil.
Natal, which means Christmas in Portuguese, owes its name to the date of its official founding on Christmas Day. It lies on the Atlantic coast, near the mouth of the Potenji River, the principal river in the state.
This composite is made up of the same image mirrored to represent a Christmas tree. Each part has been processed using different band combinations to obtain the different colours.