Seen from space, our home planet is just a tiny pale blue dot in the vast black void
of the Universe.
We must remember that we are all space travellers on this fragile spaceship we call ‘Earth’.
Today, our home is undergoing global changes, and to manage these changes, we must find
solutions together.
In Europe, we number 500 million people;
We are faced with fundamental challenges, affecting the prospects for the future.
Space is instrumental in managing these challenges,
with often the only solutions for Earth coming from space.
Through the European Space Agency, 20 European nations have pooled their resources
and put Europe at the forefront of space exploration.
And we did this with focus and efficiency, devoting several times less resources than
other space-faring nations.
The key is cooperation.
ESA only exists because of the will of its Member States to work together.
Cooperation is built into our DNA, which is vital for living in a totally connected world.
Our curiosity and urge to explore have never stopped.
Our satellites have extended our vision,
and we have invented robotic probes that have ventured to the far reaches of the Solar System.
Our launcher family gives Europe guaranteed access to space,
for any kind of satellite that we need to put into orbit.
Together with the European space industry,
we have set standards for technological innovation
From weather forecasts
to telephone communications,
TV and internet access
and satnav systems,
we open the doors for the world’s most successful space applications.
We did this by putting in place a competitive industry that lives up to the requirements
of top-level scientists and laboratories.
An industry that is building new space infrastructures,
thus leading to new services and applications
and bringing Growth for Europe.
And all this, for the cost of a cinema ticket per European per year
A “cinema ticket” that triggers our imagination
our understanding of Earth, and the Universe, and inspires our society
A “cinema ticket” that allows Europe to face global challenges in security and the
environment
A cinema ticket that pays back several times its cost to the European economy, by creating
jobs and stimulating business
This is a Space Agency based on cooperation between European states…
An Agency gathering the best engineers and scientists from all over Europe,
working together in a diverse and rich multicultural environment…
An Agency that cooperates with all Space agencies in the World…
An Agency that works with the European Union to develop the key systems Galileo, EGNOS
and GMES for Europe
And an Agency that, despite its modest size, is successful in all domains of space.
ESA, the space agency for Europe