ESA has played an important role in this EU project, which could save thousands of lives each year. HOPE is part of the European Union's efforts to support humanitarian demining operations. ESA assists these efforts under its Technology Transfer Programme, which provides commercial and industrial sectors with access to developments in space technology so that they can be applied in other fields.
Land mines are the sad legacy of war.
According to some estimates, more than 110 million anti-personnel mines are still scattered throughout 64 countries, the scene of recent wars. These 'leftovers' continue to destroy human lives long after the fighting has ceased. Apart from the unacceptable death toll among the civilian population, land mines make it more difficult for countries to recover from the effects of war. The presence of mines turns daily tasks such as farming, gathering wood, collecting water and tending livestock into high-risk occupations, leaving the inhabitants no option but to leave their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. Land mines maim as well as kill, each year thousands of people lose their limbs by accidentally stepping on them.