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 few weeks before the inauguration of the LUNA facility, the robotics team in their laboratory at ESTEC, ESA's technical heart in the Netherlands, practise a carefully-planned choreography to demonstrate the capabilities of their cutting-edge machines, Interact and Spot. Known as the Moon on Earth, the LUNA facility was unveiled in September 2024 near the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. This groundbreaking simulated lunar environment is designed to prepare for humanity's return to the Moon. To celebrate its opening, ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer collaborated with the robotics team to showcase the potential of human-robot teamwork for space exploration.
Find out more about how the team prepared the show: https://blogs.esa.int/exploration/making-a-moon-robot-show-on-earth