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 landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars on 18 February 2021 also included a European instrument: the Laser Retroreflector Array (LaRA) on the rover was developed in Italy.
LaRA will play an instrumental part in the future navigation and positioning of different vehicles on and around Mars. Relaying the signal back to Earth through an orbiter even allows scientists to test Einstein's theory of general relativity.
uropean scientist Simone Dell'Agnello has worked on the reflectors at Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics, which built the devices on behalf of the Italian Space Agency. As Executive Technologist at the institute and principal investigator of this project, he reacts to the successful Perseverance landing in this video, and looks ahead to the Exomars 22 and Mars Sample Return missions in the future.