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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ESA is developing a new family of satellites, called Sentinels, specifically for the operational needs of the Copernicus programme.
Copernicus is headed by the European Commission in partnership with the European Space Agency. It provides a unified system through which vast amounts of data are fed into a range of thematic information services designed to benefit the environment, the way we live, humanitarian needs and to support effective policy-making for a more sustainable future. These services fall into six main categories: land management, the marine environment, atmosphere, emergency response, security and climate change.
The Sentinels will provide a unique set of observations, which started with the all-weather, day and night radar images from Sentinel-1A, launched in April 2014. Sentinel-2A will mainly deliver high-resolution optical images.