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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Because of its enormous distance from the Earth, Uranus has only been slightly explored. Qualitatively the composition of Uranus is comparable with the Earth because one suspects the same elements to be there. However Uranus like Neptune, instead of solid rock in its core, probably has a global hot sea of water, molten rock and ice in its core.
The rotational axis of Uranus is unique in our solar system: At 98 degrees of tilt, it lays almost in the orbital plane. In the course of its 84-year orbit each pole is exposed once to the sun so that it is alternately for 42 earth years winter and night or summer and day.