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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Emerging cold atom technologies are showing real potential for improving the way measurements are made from space – particularly for measuring non-gravitational accelerations and gravity gradients. This involves using lasers to freeze the atoms within the instrument to near absolute zero, which is −273.15 °C. The lasers are then switched off so that the atoms are free to move in response to the strength of the gravity field. Measuring the phase difference through interferometry as the atoms ‘fall’ according to the pull of gravity will provide an absolute measurement of the variations of the gravity field as the satellite orbits around Earth.
The image shows an experiment where six laser beams cool and trap atoms before sending the cold atom cloud into the atom interferometer. The laser beam then shines the atoms to measure the gravity field they have experimented.
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