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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The Chang'e-6 lander, topped with an ascent vehicle, imaged by a small rover on the lunar far side. The Chinese spacecraft touched down in a huge crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
The green square highlights the location of the NILS experiment aboard the spacecraft, the first ESA instrument on the surface of the Moon.
The European team working with the Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) instrument confirmed the success of their scientific mission. The first ESA instrument to land on the Moon detected the presence of negative ions on the lunar surface produced through interactions with the solar wind.