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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Europe’s Galileo constellation is already the world’s most accurate satellite navigation system, providing metre-level precision to users worldwide. The general expectation is that satnav is going to keep on getting better, in line with increasing user needs and accuracy requirements. But in fact, traditional Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) in medium Earth orbit are approaching their limits of technical performance. While GNSS will remain a fundamental backbone, for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services to go on improving into the future, a new element will be required. ESA’s LEO-PNT satellites, approved at last year’s Ministerial conference, will test out this concept in practice, with a mini-constellation of at least half a dozen satellites, placed in orbit a matter of hundreds of kilometres above the surface of Earth – as opposed to the 23 222-km-distant Galileo satellites.