HOPE is part of the European Union's efforts to support humanitarian demining operations. ESA assists these efforts under its Technology Transfer Program, 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. 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. As well as the personal suffering caused, it is also difficult or impossible for the disabled to earn a living. All this puts a heavy economic and social burden on families, societies and countries alike.