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
Go to topicThe describes the Exosat mission and its results. ESA's Exosat was launched into deep space to explore the violent universe of X-Rays. X-Rays cannot penetrate the atmosphere, and so ESA decided to place an obsveratory in space. Completed in 1986, Exosat observed for several years and provided outsdanding results. It investigaed the Galaxy, the death of stars, black holes and provided evidence for the General Thoery of Relativity of Albert Einstein.