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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Different gravity gradients within Earth’s lithosphere for the northeast Atlantic region measured by ESA’s GOCE satellite. The lithosphere is the outer solid part of Earth and includes the crust and uppermost mantle. The animation shows slices of the lithosphere down to a depth of 200 km and the different gravity gradients within those slices. The three axes of GOCE’s gradiometer allow for the simultaneous measurement of six independent but complementary components of the gravity field as shown by the six boxes. These results are part of a study in ESA’s Support to Science Element.