How gravity shapes Planet Earth

Gravity is one of the fundamental forces of nature, its invisible grip governing our planet – from the rocks inside to the seas on the surface.

However, getting a grip on gravity on a global scale can only be done from space, and that’s something ESA’s GOCE satellite mission has been doing since 2009. One of the ultimate goals of GOCE is to improve our knowledge of the geoid, a kind of ‘gravity map’ of the planet, that is essential for oceanographers, surveyors, engineers and Earth-science researchers.