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
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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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Launched on 29 May 2024, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has returned the first image from its cloud profiling radar instrument. The image reveals, for the first time from space, the vertically-resolved internal structure and dynamics of clouds. It is clear to see that the denser part of the cloud is in its centre. There is a clear boundary at an altitude of around 5 km, which is where the ice and snow in the upper layer melt, forming water droplets falling as rain.
Read full story: A first: inner secrets of clouds revealed from space