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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ESA’s Solar Orbiter (left) is one of two spacecraft studying the Sun at close proximity, the other being NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (right).
Note the graphic is an artistic impression only; it is not to scale and does not depict a realistic configuration of the two missions. Read more about how the missions complement each other here here.
Note: This graphic was updated in April 2025 to show an image of the Sun taken by Solar Orbiter's EUI instrument.