Driven by humankind’s biggest questions about the Universe, ESA’s Science Programme transforms bold ideas from the scientific community into ambitious missions that make novel discoveries, drive innovation, and position Europe as leaders in space science.
ESA celebrates 50 years in 2025. Credit: ESA.
ESA’s Science Programme is the backbone of European space science. Founded in 1975, we deliver pioneering missions that produce transformative discoveries in astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, heliophysics and fundamental physics. Our iconic missions foster collaboration, drive excellence and innovation, and inspire future generations, ensuring Europe’s leadership in space science on the world stage.
From past achievements to future discoveries, ESA’s Science Programme covers planned, operational, post-operational and legacy missions.
From the birth of stars and galaxies to the mysteries of dark matter, and from the beating heart of our Sun to the evolution of planets across the cosmos, ESA’s fleet of science missions brings us closer to unravelling the nature of our beautifully complex Universe, and our place in it.
ESA’s Science Programme is driven by a commitment to excellence, innovation and international collaboration to shape the future of space science.
ESA’s Science Programme delivers outstanding mission performance and reliable data to the scientific community, driving breakthrough discoveries and scientific productivity. Gaia is revolutionising astronomy with its unparalleled stellar catalogues and precise Milky Way mapping, while Euclid is establishing ESA as a leader in cosmology.
ESA’s space science missions stimulate innovation and technological advancement. LISA Pathfinder successfully tested key technologies for LISA, the world’s first space-based gravitational wave observatory, while NewAthena is pushing the boundaries of X-ray optics.
ESA’s Science Programme provides various opportunities for European leadership and excellence by bringing together Member State resources to enable achievements that would not otherwise be possible. The introduction of ‘Fast’ class missions is designed to further fuel innovation amongst small- and medium-sized enterprises and encourage leadership diversity. An exploratory Call, opened in 2025, aims to explore opportunities to further boost cooperation with new stakeholders and space actors.
ESA’s Science Programme champions collaboration with international partners such as NASA and JAXA, whether contributing to partner-led missions or hosting international partners in ESA-led missions. A remarkable example is BepiColombo – a joint ESA-JAXA mission to Mercury.
Investing in the Science Programme’s highly relevant missions yields benefits across a wide range of scientific, industrial and societal domains. Its range of education and career development opportunities nurture the next generation of European space scientists, while its high-profile missions – such as Solar Orbiter, a mission that keeps on triggering inspiration, pride and awe.
ESA’s Science Programme is considered the ‘backbone’ of the European Space Agency, supporting and engaging in synergistic efforts across other directorates to enhance the Agency's overall strength and resilience.
Explore a subset of the ESA Science Programme missions here. Additional mission pages are in progress.
The currently available mission pages are ESA's flagship missions launched from 2013 and to be launched (L-class), and the ones in development (M- and F-class).
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