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 topic
The first ESA satellite, the COS-B gamma ray astronomy satellite, is due to be launched by Delta from Vandenburg on August 9th, 1975. Its mission will be to spend 2 years studying the unexplained gamma bursts detected by earlier US satellites. [Note: COS-B was not actually shut down until April 26th 1982, after 80 months and over 1000 revolutions, by which time it had provided a complete survey of the galactic disc.]
This film provides detailed cleanroom footage of the construction of the COS-B satellite at ESRO/CERS headquarters, followed by coverage of the calibration of the payload on a stratospheric helium balloon [October 1973] at the US National Scientific Balloon facility based in Palestine, Texas.
Not available