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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Over its lifetime of about 20 months, GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) will map the global variations in the gravity field with extreme detail and provide a unique model of the Earth's gravity field and its geoid. The geoid is the surface of equal gravitational potential defined by the gravity field and is crucial for improving our understanding of ocean circulation, sea-level change and terrestrial ice dynamics, all of which are affected by climate change. GOCE-derived data is also much needed for use in practical applications such as surveying and levelling.