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ESA
ESA
> Our Missions
Our missions
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date
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name
Aeolus
Launch: 2018
Mapping Earth's global wind fields
Alphasat
Launched: 2013 Innovative satellite telecommunications platform
ARD
Launched: 1998
First European experimental reentry vehicle
Ariane
First launch: 1979 Commercial launcher securing Europe’s non-dependent space access
Artemis
Launched: 2001 Technology demonstration for telecommunications
Athena
Launch: 2031
Probing the hot and energetic Universe
ATV
Launched: 2008, 2011, 2012
Space truck for ISS resupply
BepiColombo
Launch: 2018
Europe’s first mission to Mercury
Biomass
Launch: 2020
Measuring forest biomass
Cheops
Launch: 2019
Studying planets around other stars
Cluster
Launched: 1996 (failed), 2000
Space plasma physics in 3D
Columbus
Launched: 2008 Europe’s ISS research laboratory
Cos-B
Launched: 1975 Gamma-ray astronomy
CryoSat
Launched: 2005 (failed), 2010 Measuring polar-ice thickness
EarthCARE
Launch: 2021
Studying the roles of clouds and aerosols in our climate
ECS
series
Launched: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988
Operational European telecommunications satellites
EDRS
First launch: 2016
Geostationary satellites for relaying satellite data
Electra
First launch: 2021
Europe's first electric-propulsion telecom satellite
Envisat
Launched: 2002
10-instrument environmental satellite
ERS-1
&
-2
Launched: 1991, 1995
Radar-based Earth observation
ESRO
series
Launched: 1967 (failed), 1968, 1969, 1972
Scientific exploration of space’s particle and radiation environment
Euclid
Launch: 2022
Charting dark matter and dark energy’s effects on the Universe
Eureca
Launched: 1992
Reusable free-flying microgravity testbed
European Robotic Arm
Launch: 2017
Robotic arm serving Russian segment of ISS
Exomars
Launch: 2016, 2020
Mars orbiter and lander, followed by rover and surface platform
Exosat
Launched: 1983
X-ray astronomy
Flex
Launch: 2022
Global vegetation health
Gaia
Launched: 2013
Mission to map a billion local stars in 3D
Galileo
First launch: 2011
Europe's global satellite navigation system
GEOS-1
&
-2
Launched: 1977, 1978
Probing dynamics of Earth’s magnetic field, waves and particles
Giotto
Launched: 1985
Intercepting Comet Halley and Comet Grigg–Skjellerup
Giove-a
&
b
Launched: 2005, 2008
Technology demonstration for Galileo
GOCE
Launched: 2009
Mapping Earth's gravity
HEOS-1
&
-2
Launched: 1968 & 1972
Probing Earth's magnetic field and the interplanetary medium
Herschel
Launched: 2009
Far-infrared astronomy mission
Hipparcos
Launched: 1989
Mapping the positions of more than 100 000 stars
Hubble Space Telescope
Launched: 1990
ESA contributed solar arrays and Faint Object Camera
Huygens
Launched: 1997
Surface probe of Saturn’s moon Titan
Hylas-1
Launched: 2010
Broadband services in public-private partnership
Integral
Launched: 2002
Gamma-ray astronomy
ISEE-2
Launched: 1977
Charting Sun–Earth relations and magnetic field
ISO
Launched: 1995
Infrared astronomy
IUE
Launched: 1978
Ultraviolet astronomy
IXV
Launched: 2015
Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle
James Webb Space Telescope
Launch: 2021
Contributing two instruments to the next great space observatory
Juice
Launch: 2022
Europe's first mission to the Jupiter system
LISA Pathfinder
Launched: 2015
Technology demonstration for gravitational wave detection
Marecs
series
Launched: 1981, 1982 (failed), 1984
Maritime telecommunications satellites
Mars Express
Launched: 2003
Europe's first Red Planet orbiter
Meteosat
series
Launched: 1977, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2015
Europe's weather satellites for daily forecasting
MetOp
series
Launched: 2006, 2012
Polar meteorological services
MetOp-SG Series
First launch: 2021
MetOp Second Generation
MSG
series
Launched: 2002, 2005, 2012
Second-generation European meteorology satellites
MTG
series
First launch: 2021
Meteosat Third Generation
Neosat
First launch: 2019
Next-generation telecom satellite platform
Olympus
Launched: 1989
Technology demonstration for telecommunications
OTS-1
&
-2
Launched: 1977 (failed), 1978
Demonstrating technologies for telecommunications
Planck
Launched: 2009
Mapping the cosmic microwave background
Plato
Launch: 2026
Hunting planets beyond our Solar System
Proba
series
Launched: 2001, 2009, 2013
Technology demonstration microsatellites
Quantum
First launch: 2019
The ‘chameleon’ telecom satellite
Rosetta
Launched: 2004
Deep space comet rendezvous mission
SAT-AIS
First launch: 2019
Microsatellites for identifying and tracking ships
Sentinel
family
First launch: 2014
A portfolio of operational Earth observation missions
SmallGEO
First launch: 2017
New small platform for geostationary telecommunications
SMART-1
Launched: 2003
Experimental Moon mission
SMOS
Launched: 2009
Measuring soil moisture and ocean salinity
SOHO
Launched: 1995
Continuous observation of the Sun
Solar Orbiter
Launch: 2020
Europe’s closest mission to the Sun
Spacelab
First launched: 1983
Laboratory module for NASA’s Space Shuttle; 22 launches
Swarm
Launched: 2013
Trio of satellites mapping Earth’s magnetic field
TD-1
Launched: 1972
UV, X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy
Ulysses
Launched: 1990
Charting space above and below the Sun’s poles
Vega
First launch: 2012
Europe’s small satellite launcher
Venus Express
Launched: 2005
Europe’s first Venus orbiter
XMM-Newton
Launched: 1999
X-ray astronomy
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