7 things you need to know about ESA's space game

Entering the new decade with its biggest-ever budget, the European Space Agency (ESA) has big plans for space exploration. That includes using space to get a better understanding of what's happening on Earth. The view from space can help us measure things that are difficult to grasp from the ground — like ocean acidification, the spread of wildfires and the impact of natural disasters.

What does space have to do with 5G networks? Well, the ESA claims it plans to build the first satellite systems to be used alongside terrestrial 5G networks, creating a fiber-like "network in the sky." It says it's the new generation of wireless communication, where everything will be connected, everywhere, at all times. Cool or scary? We can't quite decide.

Since the beginning of space travel in 1957, space debris has exponentially increased. The ESA claims it plans to tackle this problem with an active mission to remove space debris. More than 34,000 objects larger than 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter orbit the earth, which are to be at least partially captured and removed.

A space station orbiting the moon, called Gateway, is set to be built in the 2020s. From there, not only will our moon be examined more closely, but the station will also serve as a base for exploratory flights into more distant space. Another advance of this kind is the JUICE probe, which will set off on its journey to Jupiter in 2022.

To find out what it takes to deflect an asteroid from its course, NASA and ESA are planning an exploratory mission. One asteroid in focus is Didymos, with its moon Didimoon. First, NASA will slam its probe DART into the moon at over 6 km (3.7 miles) per second. ESA's HERA mission will then precisely measure the impact of the collision.

As of the end of 2020, Ariane 6 will be the new European carrier to bring cargo into space. With the launch vehicle, the EU wants to secure its independent access to space. The ESA is also working on the Space Rider, an autonomous, resuable space laboratory that will return to Earth after it completes a mission.

The ESA says it wants to go farther than ever before during the next decade. All of its astronauts will go to space for a second time, and for the first time, European astronauts like Matthias Maurer (pictured) will fly to the moon. They will also travel to Mars alongside NASA, with plans to bring back samples to Earth.