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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The first laser node of the European Data Relay System was launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan atop a Proton rocket on 29 January at 22:20 GMT.
Dubbed the ‘SpaceDataHighway’, EDRS will uniquely provide near-realtime Big Data relay services using cutting-edge laser technology. It will dramatically improve access to time-critical data, aiding disaster response by emergency services and maritime surveillance.
The first node, EDRS-A, was launched as a hosted payload on Eutelsat-9B, a commercial telecom satellite operated by Eutelsat. EDRS is a public–private partnership between ESA and Airbus Defence and Space.
Watch the EDRS-A launch highlights.