Euclid
Mapping a third of the Universe
From the birth of stars and galaxies to the mysteries of dark matter. From the beating heart of our Solar System to signs of life on icy moons. ESA’s fleet of space science missions brings us closer to unravelling the nature of our beautifully complex Universe, and our place within it.
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Mission highlights
BepiColombo
9.9 billion km to Mercury
Plato
Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars
Solar Orbiter
Closest images of the Sun
Science missions
ESA has been dedicated to observing Earth from space ever since the launch of its first space science mission in 1975. Click on the button below to explore them all.
Fulfilling Europe's ambitions
Orbiting and landing on a comet. Mapping billions of galaxies. Finding liquid water buried on Mars. Charting two billion stars. These are just a handful of highlights.
Driven by humankind’s biggest questions about the Universe, ESA’s Science Programme transforms bold ideas from the European scientific community into ambitious missions that make novel discoveries, drive innovation, and position Europe as leaders in space science.
50 years of exploring the cosmos
Space science is the foundation of ESA, driving innovation, economic progress and global collaboration. It not only inspires the next generation of scientists and engineers, but also compels us to look beyond our everyday lives and consider humankind's place in the Universe: how did Earth and the Solar System form? Where are we headed? Are we alone?
Big missions for big questions
ESA’s boldest missions are tackling some of the biggest questions in space science. Our Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is en route to investigate whether Jupiter’s ocean moons hold the conditions for life. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be the first space-based observatory catching ripples in the fabric of space-time. And NewAthena, the largest X-ray telescope ever built, will investigate some of the hottest and most energetic phenomena in the Universe.
Related news
Ghostly Cat’s Head Nebula lurks within sight of Hubble and Webb
The NASA/ESA Hubble and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescopes recently stared at an eerie star-forming scene within the Carina Nebula, a massive gas and dust cloud located approximately 7500 light-years away from Earth. The two telescopes offer complementary views of the shadowy form, nicknamed the Cat’s Head Nebula, which reflects the 'magical' process of star formation. Hubble’s visible-light view shows the cat as a dark, elongated dust pillar and hints of young forming stars, while Webb’s infrared-light imagery unveils many stars and other hidden details.
Stars brewing in a nebulous cauldron
In this Picture of the Month from the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope, we visit a turbulent cauldron of star formation to see what is brewing inside dense clumps of gas. This is a star-forming region named LHA 120-N 159, or simply N159, located 161 000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the satellite galaxies orbiting the Milky Way galaxy. This image spans about 230 light-years across.
Euclid discovers new comet
The European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope has discovered its first previously unknown comet, in images taken between 16 and 24 September 2026.
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