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 photo shows the team who are preparing ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite for liftoff from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Their tasks ensure the satellite is ‘flight-ready’ for integration into the upper stage of the Falcon-9 Transporter 11.
As its name suggests, the Arctic Weather Satellite is designed to show how a potential polar-orbiting constellation of satellites could provide data for very short-term weather forecasts and nowcasts for the Arctic and northern latitude nations, a region that lacks these kind of accurate forecasts. Importantly, the constellation would also contribute to more accurate weather forecasting around the world.