About ESA

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.

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ESA - United space in Europe

This is ESA ESA facts Member States & Cooperating States Funding Director General DG Blog Top management For Member State Delegations European vision European Space Policy ESA & EU Corporate news

Establishments & sites

Headquarters ESTEC ESOC ESRIN EAC ESAC Europe's Spaceport ESEC ECSAT Brussels Office Moscow Office Washington Office

Working with ESA

Business with ESA Law at ESA Careers Security at ESA IT at ESA Media Partnerships Education Downstream Gateway Open Space Innovation Platform The ESA_Lab@ Initiative Integrity and whistleblowing Appeals Board

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Call for Media: ESA and ClearSpace SA sign contract for world’s first debris removal mission

ESA is signing an €86 million contract with an industrial team led by the Swiss start-up ClearSpace SA to purchase a unique service: the first removal of an item of space debris from orbit. As a result, in 2025, ClearSpace SA will launch the first active debris removal mission, ClearSpace-1, which will rendezvous, capture and bring down for reentry a Vespa payload adapter. Journalists are invited to follow an online round table for media on Tuesday, 1 December, at 13:30 CET. Mission experts will give an overview of the project status, explain the ambitious mission design and detail the next steps leading to launch.

26/11/2020 3996 views

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Space in Member States

Find out more about space activities in our 22 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.

Science & Exploration

Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe

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Programmes

Space Science Human and Robotic Exploration

Astronauts

Samantha Cristoforetti

Alexander Gerst

Matthias Maurer

Andreas Mogensen

Luca Parmitano

Tim Peake

Thomas Pesquet

Missions

Solar Orbiter Cheops BepiColombo ExoMars Gaia Rosetta More missions

Activities

International Space Station Orion service module Gateway Concordia Caves & Pangaea

Latest

Signing ESA-NASA Gateway Memorandum of Understanding

Science & Exploration

Gateway MoU and Artemis Accords – FAQs

193 views 13 likes

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Press Release N° 29–2020

Science & Exploration

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer officially assigned first flight

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer has been assigned to his first flight to the International Space Station during a meeting of representatives from the US, Russian, Japanese, Canadian and European space agencies at the beginning of December.

14/12/2020 526 views

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Safety & Security

Monitoring space and protecting our planetary environment

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About safety and security

Protecting our Pale Blue Dot The story so far Plans for the future

Asteroids

Risky asteroids Asteroid danger explained Flyeye telescope: asteroid detection Hera mission: asteroid deflection Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre

Space junk

About space debris Space debris by the numbers Space Environment Report 2019 In space refuelling, refurbishing and removing

Safety from space

Clean Space ecodesign cleansat Space for Earth Supporting Sustainable Development

Space weather

Solar Hazards Lagrange mission: providing solar warning Space Weather Warning Network

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Safety & Security

Ireland helping ESA’s Hera asteroid mission find its way

11/12/2020 1176 views 45 likes

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Press Release N° 27–2020

Safety & Security

ESA purchases world-first debris removal mission from start-up

ESA has signed an €86 million contract with an industrial team led by Swiss start-up ClearSpace SA to purchase a unique service: the first removal of an item of space debris from orbit.

01/12/2020 227 views

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Safety & Security

Point de situation sur les débris spatiaux

Octobre 2020

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Applications

Using space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth

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Observing the Earth

Observing the Earth Sentinel missions Earth Explorers Meteorological missions Space for our climate

Telecommunications

Telecommunications & Integrated Applications ARTES Core Competitiveness Partnership Projects ESA Space Solutions

Satellite navigation

Navigation Galileo and EGNOS NAVISP GNSS Evolution

Downstream

Downstream Gateway Open Space Innovation Platform Business Incubation ESA Space Solutions

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Applications

Galileo enhancing Sentinel-6’s sea level monitoring mission

15/12/2020 878 views 20 likes

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Applications

University of Oslo

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Press Release N° 25–2020

Applications

New Copernicus satellite to monitor sea-level rise launched

The Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite has been launched into orbit around Earth on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Using the latest radar altimetry technology, this new satellite is set to provide a new overview of ocean topography and advance the long-term record of sea-surface height measurements that began in 1992 – measurements that are essential for climate science, for policy-making and, ultimately, for protecting the lives of millions at risk of sea-level rise.

21/11/2020 764 views

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Enabling & Support

Making space accessible and developing the technologies for the future

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Building missions

Space Engineering and Technology Test centre Laboratories Concurrent Design Facility Preparing for the future Shaping the Future Discovery and Preparation Advanced Concepts Team