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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The COSPAS-SARSAT system, the largest international cooperative effort on humanitarian Search and Rescue activities, detects 406 MHz SOS signals emitted by emergency beacons in near real-time from anywhere on Earth and relays the alert and location to rescue authorities, assisting thousands of rescues yearly. Galileo joined COSPAS-SARSAT in 2006 and contributes with its medium-Earth orbit satellite constellation since 2016. The addition of the European navigation system to the Search and Rescue programme improved the detection speed of distress signals and the location accuracy.