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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Sentinel-1 carries a C-band synthetic aperture radar. The advantage of radar as a remote-sensing tool is that it can image Earth’s surface through rain and cloud, and regardless of whether it is day or night. This makes it ideal for monitoring the polar regions, which are in darkness for much of the year, and for imaging tropical forests and floods, typically shrouded in cloud.