Science is the underpinning theme of ESA, driving the spiral of inspiration, innovation, infor­mation exchange and interaction with our stakeholders. In this video, Günther Hasinger, ESA Director of Science, reflects on the growth of ESA’s space science programme over the past decades, as well as on its current and future challenges. He also highlights the importance of long-term strategic planning and international cooperation in these endeavours, and finally looks back at some recent successes of ESA’s space science missions.

Science is everywhere at ESA. As well as exploring the Universe and answering the big questions about our place in space we develop the satellites, rockets and technologies to get there. Science also helps us to care for our home planet. All this week we're highlighting different aspects of science at ESA. Join the conversation with #ScienceAtESA.

Credits: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona (Huygens landing); ESA/Rosetta/Philae/ROLIS/DLR, Stefano Mottola (Philae landing); ESA/Planck Collaboration (cosmic microwave background); ESA/Gaia/DPAC (Milky Way); MPG/ESO (Eagle Nebula, visible); ESA/Herschel/PACS/SPIRE/Hill, Motte, HOBYS Key Programme Consortium (Eagle Nebula, far-infrared); ESA/XMM-Newton/EPIC/XMM-Newton-SOC/Boulanger (Eagle Nebula, X-rays); NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team (Pillars of Creation); ESO (Pillars of Creation, ground-based view); Koppelman, Villalobos & Helmi, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen (Milky Way simulation); ESA/XMM-Newton/F. Nicastro et al./R. Cen (warm-hot intergalactic medium); ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (Mars surface); ESA/NASA/JPL/ASI/Univ. Rome (Mars, liquid water under south pole); NASA/JPL-Caltech (Mars view); ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calcada (`Oumuamua animation)