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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Satellite measurements of Earth’s changing temperature, sea levels, atmospheric gases, declining ice and forest cover, for example, are one of the main ways of providing the scientific community with the data they need to improve our understanding of the Earth system and predict its future. Through ESA’s Climate Change Initiative, long-term datasets on key indicators of climate change are being systematically generated and preserved. These ‘essential climate variables’ – of which there are more than 50 – are core to the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations dedicated programme on Global Climate Observation System.