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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A fireball spotted over Madrid has had its astronomical ancestry unearthed. While it ended its days burning up in Earth’s atmosphere on 31 July this year, the fragment began its life as part of Comet 169P/NEAT – responsible for the annual Alpha Capricornids meteor shower – and once considered an asteroid until observations revealed its icy tail.