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
Go to topicThe GOCE satellite design optimises the gravity field sensor performance in a variety of ways. First, the effect of non-conservative forces is minimised by reducing the cross-sectional area in the flight direction. A space-first is the so-called drag-free and attitude control system, which compensates for such non-conservative forces. Third, the spacecraft has no moving parts and is extremely stiff in order to eliminate the disturbances other than the gravity field phenomena intended to be measured.