Abstract
The European Space Agency (ESA) was set up in 1975, bringing together 22 member states. Its satellite activities develop European technologies and industries, while working closely with other agencies such as NASA (USA) and Roscosmos (Russia). Its missions are to observe the Earth, including the evolution of its climate, oceans, geoid and magnetosphere ; to develop navigation and telecommunications ; to promote robotic and human exploration of space and the solar system ; to explore fundamental science and extend our knowledge of the Universe. We'll look at a few examples of its successes in all these fields, and look ahead to future missions.
