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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This video shows 350 images taken by ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano from the International Space Station of Hurricane Dorian on 3 September 2019. The camera was setup to continuously take images for three minutes at around 15:30 GMT, Luca readjusts the tripod and zooms in on the eye of the storm.
The mighty storm Dorian has unleashed a siege of devastation. Storm surges, wind and rain have claimed at least twenty lives and destroyed homes and infrastructure. Dorian is reported to be one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record.
At 400 km above Earth the astronauts inside the International Space Station have a unique view of our planet but dedicated Earth-monitoring satellites provide data for meteorologists. The path of Hurricane Dorian is difficult to predict but the US National Hurricane Center expects life-threatening storm surges. As the US authorities respond to the devastation, Europe’s Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service has been activated to provide flood maps based on satellite data.
Follow Luca and his Beyond mission on social media on his website and on his blog.
Music: “Eye of the storm” by D.A. Skinner