TheEuropean Space Agency (ESA)[a] is a 23-memberinternational organisation devoted tospace exploration.[7] It has its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023.[8] ESA was founded in 1975 in the context ofEuropean integration. Its 2025 annual budget was €7.7 billion.[4]
The treaty establishing the European Space Agency reads:[9]
"The purpose of the Agency shall be to provide for and to promote, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European States in space research and technology and their space applications, with a view to their being used for scientific purposes and for operational space applications systems."
ESA is responsible for setting a unified space and related industrial policy, recommending space objectives to the member states, and integrating national programs like satellite development, into the European program as much as possible.[9]
Jean-Jacques Dordain—ESA's Director General (2003–2015)—outlined the European Space Agency's mission in a 2003 interview:[10]
"Today space activities have pursued the benefit of citizens, and citizens are asking for a better quality of life on Earth. They want greater security and economic wealth, but they also want to pursue their dreams, to increase their knowledge, and they want younger people to be attracted to the pursuit of science and technology.
I think that space can do all of this: it can produce a higher quality of life, better security, more economic wealth, and also fulfill our citizens' dreams and thirst for knowledge, and attract the young generation. This is the reason space exploration is an integral part of overall space activities. It has always been so, and it will be even more important in the future."
Europa II rocket (larger horizontal rocket in the background),Skylark sounding rocket (front center-left), and a model of theAriane 4 orbital rocket (to the right from Skylark) atEuro Space CenterPierre Auger (far left) visiting the European Space Research and Technology CentreESTEC on 3 February 1967
AfterWorld War II, many European scientists left Western Europe to work with the United States. Although the 1950s boom made it possible for Western European countries to invest in research and specifically in space-related activities, Western European scientists realised solely national projects would not be able to compete with the two superpowers. In 1958, only months after theSputnik shock,Edoardo Amaldi (Italy) andPierre Auger (France), two prominent members of the Western European scientific community, met to discuss the foundation of a common Western European space agency. The meeting was attended by scientific representatives from eight countries.[11][12][13]
The Western European nations decided to have two agencies: one concerned with developing a launch system,ELDO (European Launcher Development Organisation), of which Renzo Carrobio di Carrobio became the first Secretary General from 1964 to 1971,[14] and the other the precursor of the European Space Agency,ESRO (European Space Research Organisation), led byPierre Auger. The latter was established on 20 March 1964 by an agreement signed on 14 June 1962. From 1968 to 1972, ESRO launched seven research satellites, but ELDO was not able to deliver a launch vehicle. Both agencies struggled with the underfunding and diverging interests of their participants.[15][16]
The ESA in its current form was founded with the ESA Convention in 1975, when ESRO was merged with ELDO. ESA had ten founding member states: Belgium, Denmark, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[17] These signed the ESA Convention in 1975 and deposited the instruments of ratification by 1980, when the convention came into force.[18] During this interval the agency functioned in ade facto fashion.[19]
ESA launched its first major scientific mission in 1975,Cos-B, a satellite monitoringgamma-ray emissions in the universe, which was first worked on byESRO.[20] ESA collaborated withNASA on theInternational Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE), the world's first high-orbit telescope, which was launched in 1978 and operated successfully for 18 years.[21][22] A number of successful Earth-orbit projects followed, and in 1986 ESA beganGiotto, its first deep-space mission, to study the cometsHalley andGrigg–Skjellerup.[23]Hipparcos, a star-mapping mission, was launched in 1989[24] and in the 1990sSOHO,Ulysses, and theHubble Space Telescope were all jointly carried out with NASA.[25][26][27][28] Later scientific missions in cooperation with NASA include theCassini–Huygens space probe, to which the ESA contributed by building theTitan landing moduleHuygens.[29]
As the successor ofELDO, the ESA has also constructed rockets for scientific and commercial payloads.Ariane 1, launched in 1979, carried mostly commercial payloads into orbit from 1984 onward. The next two versions of theAriane rocket family were intermediate stages in the development of a more advanced launch system, theAriane 4, which operated between 1988 and 2003 and established the ESA as the world leader in commercial space launches in the 1990s.[30][31] Although the succeedingAriane 5 experienced a failure on its first flight in 1996,[32] it has since firmly established itself within the heavily competitive commercial space launch market with 112 successful launches until 2023.[33][34] In 1998, ESA started developing thesmall-lift launch vehicleVega,[35] which has since flown 22 times between 2012 and 2024.[36]
Astronauts from the future ESA member states have been joiningSoviet space missions since 1978.[37][38] The firstESA astronaut to fly to space wasUlf Merbold who joined theSTS-9 mission of the AmericanSpace Shuttle in 1983, that carried the first European-builtSpacelab laboratory module.[39] The experience gained during theSpacelab programme was later instrumental in developing theInternational Space Station (ISS).[40][41][42] Since then, ESA astronauts have been joiningSpace Shuttle flights, as well as RussianSoyuz flights to theMir space station.[43][44][45] During the 1980s and 1990s, ESA was considering developing its own crewed spacecraftHermes[46] and a small space stationColumbus MTFF.[47] These plans were later abandoned and instead, ESA joined theInternational Space Station (ISS) programme withColumbus being repurposed as one of the station's laboratory modules and ESA astronauts flying to the station on American and Russian spacecraft.[48][49]
The beginning of the new millennium saw the ESA become, along with agencies likeNASA andJAXA, one of the major participants inspace research. Although ESA had relied on co-operation with NASA in previous decades, changed circumstances, such as tough legal restrictions on information sharing underITAR,[50] led to decisions to rely more on itself and on cooperation withRoscosmos.[51]
Notable deep space missions during the 2000s included the agency's first Moon, Mars, and Venus orbiters:SMART-1,[58]Mars Express, andVenus Express.[59][60] ESA'sHuygens probe, launched together with the NASA'sCassini mission in 1997, reached its destination in 2005 when it successfully landed onTitan, marking the farthest landing from Earth a spacecraft has ever made.[61] The comet orbiterRosetta launched in 2004 and performed multiple deep space flybys and observations during the decade, but wouldn't reach its destination until 2014.[62]
During the 2000s, ESA pursued theAurora programme which planned to launch a series of increasingly ambitious missions culminating in a crewed landing on Mars.[66] The programme was eventually abandoned with only theExoMars series ofastrobiology space probes toMars remaining active. ExoMars, as well as the plans for human spaceflight toLEO, theMoon, andMars, were later incorporated into the newTerrae Novae programme established in 2016.[67]
In 2014, ESA'sRosetta probe arrived at its destinatination, the Jupiter-family comet67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. It became the first spacecraft ever to orbit a comet[73] and its landerPhilae performed the first ever landing on a comet.[74][75] In 2016, ESA launched its second Mars orbiter mission, theExoMarsTrace Gas Orbiter (TGO), as the firstExoMars mission within the newly establishedTerrae Novae programme. When the spacecraft arrived at Mars later the same year, it released theSchiaparelli lander, which failed on landing.[76] TGO, however, entered the Martian orbit and after 11 months ofaerobraking began its scientific observations, focused mostly on theatmosphere of Mars.[77] In 2018, ESA andJAXA launched the joint missionBepiColombo, which is expected to arrive at Mercury in 2026.[78][79]
Notable astronomy missions launched in 2010s were theastrometry telescopeGaia, which produced the largest and most precise 3D catalogue of astronomical objects ever made,[80] and theexoplanets-characterizing telescopeCHEOPS.[81] ESA also launchedLISA Pathfinder, a technology demonstrator for the futuregravitational wave observatoryLISA.[82] In 2010, ESA launched thecryosphere-monitoring satelliteCryoSat-2, a replacement forCryoSat-1 which had been destroyed in 2005 due to a failure of its Russian launch vehicle.[83] Another majorEarth observation satellite mission of the decade was themagnetic field-observingSwarm, launched in 2013.[84]
TheBepiColombo mission, launched in 2018, has completed all its ninegravity assist maneuvers at Earth, Venus, and Mercury, in preparation for the planned 2026 insertion into Mercury orbit.[109] Theheliophysics missionSolar Orbiter, launched in 2020, continues to perform periodic Venus flybys which gradually increase itsorbital inclination, allowing it to observe the Sun from outside theSolar system plane.[110] TheJuice mission, launched in 2023, has so far completed two gravity assist maneuvers at Earth and Venus on its way to enter an orbit around Jupiter in 2031.[111] Two European orbiters,Mars Express andTGO, continued their operations around Mars, providing scientific insights into the planet's surface and atmosphere. In 2025,Mars Express received a software update, which could allow it to stay operational until 2030s.[112]
TheHera mission, launched in 2024 as the first space mission of the optionalSpace Safety Programme, flew by Mars in 2025 on its way to perform a post-impact survey of the asteroidDimorphos which had been impacted by NASA'sDouble Asteroid Redirection Test mission.[113] TheSpace Safety Programme was established in 2019 by substantially expanding the former Space Situational Awareness (SSA) programme. Since then, it has prepared an extensive series of space missions and ground-based projects focused on mitigating the dangers ofnear-Earth asteroids,space weather, andspace debris.[114]
In the 2020s, ESA's optionalTerrae Novae programme started developing a number of space infrastructure projects for long term, sustainable robotic exploration of the Moon and Mars. TheArgonaut landers will deliver heavy payloads to the lunar surface.[115] TheMoonlight Initiative will place a constellation of communication and navigation satellites around the Moon.[116] TheLightShip interplanetaryspace tugs equipped withsolar electric propulsion will deliver other spacecraft to Mars and then serve as communication, navigation, and weather satellites within the MARCONI constellation in high Mars orbit.[117]
The successor to theVega launch vehicle,Vega C, launched successfully for the first time on 13 July 2022, delivering theLARES 2 satellite and sixCubeSats to Earth orbit.[122][123] The successor to theAriane 5 launch vehicle,Ariane 6, had its maiden flight on 9 July 2024, followed by the first commercial launch on 6 March 2025.[124] In March 2025, ESA officially launched itsEuropean Launcher Challenge (ELC) to support European commercial launch providers and in July 2025, the agency has preselected five companies for further competition. Initially introduced in November 2023, the program aims to foster new European sovereign launch capabilities, beginning withsmall launch vehicles and ultimately paving the way for an Ariane 6 successor.[125][126][127]
The agency's facilities date back to ESRO and are deliberately distributed among various countries and areas. The most important are the following centres:
ESA headquarters in Paris, France;
ESA science missions are based atESTEC inNoordwijk, Netherlands;
Every member state must contribute to the mandatory programmes.[128] Member states' contributions to the mandatory programmes are calculated based on theirGross National Product.[129] Decisions about these are taken unanimously.[130]
Member states participate to varying degrees with both mandatory space programs and those that are optional. As of 2008[update], the mandatory programmes made up 25% of total expenditures while optional space programmes were the other 75%.[141] The ESA has traditionally implemented a policy of "georeturn", where funds that ESA member states provide to the ESA "are returned in the form of contracts to companies in those countries."[142]
By 2015, the ESA was an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states.[7] The 2008 ESA budget amounted to €3.0 billion whilst the 2009 budget amounted to €3.6 billion.[143] The total budget amounted to about €3.7 billion in 2010, €3.99 billion in 2011, €4.02 billion in 2012, €4.28 billion in 2013, €4.10 billion in 2014, €4.43 billion in 2015, €5.25 billion in 2016, €5.75 billion in 2017, €5.60 billion in 2018, €5.72 billion in 2019, €6.68 billion in 2020, €6.49 billion in 2021, €7.15 billion in 2022, €7.46 billion in 2023 and €7.79 billion in 2024.[144]
English and French are the two official languages of the ESA.[145] Additionally, official documents are also provided in German and documents regarding theSpacelab have been also provided in Italian. If found appropriate, the agency may conduct its correspondence in any language of a member state.[146]
The following table lists all the member states and adjunct members, their ESA convention ratification dates, and their contributions as of 2024:[147]
Member state or partner
Ratification of ESA convention or association agreement[148]
^abcThese nations are considered initial signatories, but since they were members of neitherESRO norELDO (the precursor organisations to ESA) the Convention could only enter into force when the last of the other 10 founders ratified it.
^abcdefghijFounding members and initial signatories drafted the ESA charter which entered into force on 30 October 1980. These nations were also members of eitherELDO orESRO.[150]
Previously associated members were Austria, Norway, Finland and Slovenia, all of which later joined the ESA as full members. Since January 2025 there have been four associate members: Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Canada. The three European members have shown interest in full membership and may eventually apply within the next years.
In May 2021, Lithuania became the third current associated member.[157] As a consequence its citizens became eligible to apply to the2022 ESA Astronaut group, applications for which were scheduled to close one week later. The deadline was therefore extended by three weeks to allow Lithuanians a fair chance to apply.[158]
Slovakia's Associate membership came into effect on 13 October 2022, for an initial duration of seven years. The Association Agreement supersedes the European Cooperating State (ECS) Agreement, which entered into force upon Slovakia's subscription to the Plan for European Cooperating States Charter on 4 February 2016, a scheme introduced at ESA in 2001. The ECS Agreement was subsequently extended until 3 August 2022.[155]
Since 1 January 1979, Canada has had the special status of a Cooperating State within the ESA. By virtue of this accord, theCanadian Space Agency takes part in the ESA's deliberative bodies and decision-making and also in the ESA's programmes and activities. Canadian firms can bid for and receive contracts to work on programmes. The accord has a provision ensuring a fair industrial return to Canada.[160] The most recent Cooperation Agreement was signed on 15 December 2010 with a term extending to 2020.[161][162] For 2014, Canada's annual assessed contribution to the ESA general budget was €6,059,449 (CAD$8,559,050).[163] This annual contribution increased in 2017 to €21,600,000 (CAD$30,000,000).[164] In 2025, the Government of Canada announced a plan to increase contributions to the ESA by €326,000,000 (CAD$528,500,000) over the following three to five-year period.[165][166]
European Space Agency 2016 budget by domain out of a total budget is 5250M€.
The ESA is funded from annual contributions by national governments of members as well as from an annual contribution by the European Union (EU).[167]
The budget of the ESA was €5.250 billion in 2016.[168] Every 3–4 years, ESA member states agree on a budget plan for several years at an ESA member states conference. This plan can be amended in future years, however provides the major guideline for the ESA for several years.[citation needed] The 2016 budget allocations for major areas of the ESA activity are shown in the chart on the right.[168]
Countries typically have their own space programmes that differ in how they operate organisationally and financially with the ESA. For example, the French space agency CNES has a total budget of €2,015 million, of which €755 million is paid as direct financial contribution to the ESA.[169] Several space-related projects are joint projects between national space agencies and the ESA (e.g.COROT). Also, the ESA is not the only European governmental space organisation (for exampleEuropean Union Satellite Centre and theEuropean Union Space Programme Agency).
After the decision of the ESA Council of 21/22 March 2001, the procedure for accession of the European states was detailed as described the document titled "The Plan for European Co-operating States (PECS)".[170] Nations that want to become a full member of the ESA do so in 3 stages. First a Cooperation Agreement is signed between the country and ESA. In this stage, the country has very limited financial responsibilities. If a country wants to co-operate more fully with ESA, it signs a European Cooperating State (ECS) Agreement, albeit to be a candidate for said agreement, a country must be European. The ECS Agreement makes companies based in the country eligible for participation in ESA procurements. The country can also participate in all ESA programmes, except for the Basic Technology Research Programme. While the financial contribution of the country concerned increases, it is still much lower than that of a full member state. The agreement is normally followed by a Plan For European Cooperating State (or PECS Charter). This is a 5-year programme of basicresearch and development activities aimed at improving the nation'sspace industry capacity. At the end of the 5-year period, the country can either begin negotiations to become a full member state or an associated state or sign a new PECS Charter.[171] Many countries, most of which joined the EU in both 2004 and 2007, have started to co-operate with the ESA on various levels:
During the Ministerial Meeting in December 2014, ESA ministers approved a resolution calling for discussions to begin with Israel, Australia and South Africa on future association agreements. The ministers noted that "concrete cooperation is at an advanced stage" with these nations and that "prospects for mutual benefits are existing".[195]
A separate space exploration strategy resolution calls for further co-operation with the United States, Russia and China on "LEO exploration, including a continuation ofISS cooperation and the development of a robust plan for the coordinated use of space transportation vehicles and systems for exploration purposes, participation in robotic missions for the exploration of the Moon, the robotic exploration of Mars, leading to a broad Mars Sample Return mission in which Europe should be involved as a full partner, and human missions beyond LEO in the longer term."[195]
In August 2019, the ESA and theAustralian Space Agency signed a joint statement of intent "to explore deeper cooperation and identify projects in a range of areas including deep space, communications, navigation, remote asset management,data analytics and mission support."[196] Details of the cooperation were laid out in aframework agreement signed by the two entities.
On 17 November 2020, ESA signed amemorandum of understanding (MOU) with theSouth African National Space Agency (SANSA). SANSA CEO Dr. Valanathan Munsami tweeted: "Today saw another landmark event for SANSA with the signing of an MoU with the ESA. This builds on initiatives that we have been discussing for a while already and which gives effect to these. Thanks Jan for your hand of friendship and making this possible."[197]
The ESA currently has two operational launch vehiclesVega C andAriane 6.[198] Rocket launches are carried out byArianespace, which has 23 shareholders representing the industry that manufactures the Ariane 5 as well asCNES, at the ESA'sGuiana Space Centre. Because many communication satellites have equatorial orbits, launches fromFrench Guiana are able to take larger payloads into space than from spaceports at higher latitudes. In addition, equatorial launches give spacecraft an extra 'push' of nearly 500 m/s due to the higherrotational velocity of the Earth at the equator compared to near the Earth's poles where rotational velocity approaches zero. In 2014, ESA proposed changes to theAriane family development scheme by moving to competitive bids for the development ofAriane 6.[199]
Vega is the ESA's carrier for small satellites. Developed by seven ESA members led byItaly. It is capable of carrying a payload with a mass of between 300 and 1500 kg to an altitude of 700 km, for lowpolar orbit. Its maiden launch fromKourou was on 13 February 2012.[201] Vega began full commercial exploitation in December 2015.[202]
A larger version of the Vega launcher,Vega-C had its first flight in July 2022.[205] The new evolution of the rocket incorporates a larger first stage booster, theP120C replacing theP80, an upgradedZefiro (rocket stage) second stage, and the AVUM+ upper stage. This new variant enables larger single payloads, dual payloads, return missions, and orbital transfer capabilities.[206]
At the time the ESA was formed, its main goals did not encompass human space flight; rather it considered itself to be primarily a scientific research organisation for uncrewed space exploration in contrast to its American and Soviet counterparts. It is therefore not surprising that the first non-Soviet European in space was not an ESA astronaut on a European space craft; it was CzechoslovakVladimír Remek who in 1978 became the first non-Soviet or American in space (the first man in space beingYuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union) – on aSovietSoyuz spacecraft, followed by the PoleMirosław Hermaszewski and East GermanSigmund Jähn in the same year. This Soviet co-operation programme, known asIntercosmos, primarily involved the participation ofEastern bloc countries. In 1982, however,Jean-Loup Chrétien became the firstnon-Communist Bloc astronaut on a flight to the SovietSalyut 7 space station.
Because Chrétien did not officially fly into space as an ESA astronaut, but rather as a member of the FrenchCNES astronaut corps, the GermanUlf Merbold is considered the first ESA astronaut to fly into space. He participated in theSTS-9Space Shuttle mission that included the first use of the European-builtSpacelab in 1983. STS-9 marked the beginning of an extensive ESA/NASA joint partnership that included dozens of space flights of ESA astronauts in the following years. Some of these missions with Spacelab were fully funded and organisationally and scientifically controlled by the ESA (such as two missions by Germany and one by Japan) with European astronauts as full crew members rather than guests on board. Beside paying for Spacelab flights and seats on the shuttles, the ESA continued its human space flight co-operation with the Soviet Union and later Russia, including numerous visits toMir.
During the latter half of the 1980s, European human space flights changed from being the exception to routine and therefore, in 1990, theEuropean Astronaut Centre inCologne, Germany was established. It selects and trains prospective astronauts and is responsible for the co-ordination with international partners, especially with regard to theInternational Space Station. As of 2006, the ESA astronaut corps officially included twelve members, including nationals from most large European countries except the United Kingdom.
In 2008, the ESA started to recruit new astronauts so that final selection would be due in spring 2009. Almost 10,000 people registered as astronaut candidates before registration ended in June 2008. 8,413 fulfilled the initial application criteria. Of the applicants, 918 were chosen to take part in the first stage of psychological testing, which narrowed down the field to 192. After two-stage psychological tests and medical evaluation in early 2009, as well as formal interviews, six new members of theEuropean Astronaut Corps were selected – five men and one woman.[209]
In the 1980s, France pressed for an independent European crew launch vehicle. Around 1978, it was decided to pursue a reusable spacecraft model and starting in November 1987 a project to create a mini-shuttle by the name ofHermes was introduced. The craft was comparable to early proposals for theSpace Shuttle and consisted of a small reusable spaceship that would carry 3 to 5 astronauts and 3 to 4 metric tons of payload for scientific experiments. With a total maximum weight of 21 metric tons it would have been launched on theAriane 5 rocket, which was being developed at that time. It was planned solely for use inlow Earth orbit space flights. The planning and pre-development phase concluded in 1991; the production phase was never fully implemented because at that time the political landscape had changed significantly. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the ESA looked forward to co-operation with Russia to build a next-generation space vehicle. Thus the Hermes programme was cancelled in 1995 after about 3 billion dollars had been spent. TheColumbus space station programme had a similar fate.
In the 21st century, ESA started new programmes to create its own crew vehicles, most notable among its various projects and proposals isHopper, whose prototype byEADS, calledPhoenix, has already been tested. While projects such asHopper are neither concrete nor to be realised within the next decade, other possibilities for human spaceflight in co-operation with theRussian Space Agency have emerged. Following talks with theRussian Space Agency in 2004 and June 2005,[210] a co-operation between the ESA and theRussian Space Agency was announced to jointly work on the Russian-designedKliper, a reusable spacecraft that would be available for space travel beyond LEO (e.g. the moon or even Mars). It was speculated that Europe would finance part of it. A€50 million participation study for Kliper, which was expected to be approved in December 2005, was finally not approved by ESA member states. The Russian state tender for the project was subsequently cancelled in 2006.
In June 2006, ESA member states granted 15 million to theCrew Space Transportation System (CSTS) study, a two-year study to design a spacecraft capable of going beyond Low-Earth orbit based on the currentSoyuz design. This project was pursued withRoskosmos instead of the cancelled Kliper proposal. A decision on the actual implementation and construction of the CSTS spacecraft was contemplated for 2008. In mid-2009 EADS Astrium was awarded a €21 million study into designing a crew vehicle based on the European ATV which was believed to be the basis of the Advanced Crew Transportation System design.[211] Neither of these projects was pursued further in the 2010s.
In November 2012, ESA decided to join NASA'sOrion programme. The ATV would form the basis of theEuropean Service Module (ESM) for NASA's new crewed spacecraft. ESA may also seek to work with NASA on Orion's launch system as well to secure a seat on the spacecraft for its own astronauts.[212] The completeOrion with ESM flew on its first mission to Lunar orbit in 2022.[213]
In September 2014, the ESA signed an agreement withSierra Nevada Corporation for co-operation inDream Chaser project. Further studies on the Dream Chaser for European Use orDC4EU project were funded, including the feasibility of launching a Europeanised Dream Chaser onboard Ariane 5.[214][215]
With regard to theInternational Space Station (ISS), the ESA is not represented by all of its member states:[216] 11 of the 22 ESA member states currently participate in the project: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Austria, Finland and Ireland chose not to participate, because of lack of interest or concerns about the expense of the project. Portugal, Luxembourg, Greece, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Estonia, and Hungary joined ESA after the agreement had been signed.
ESA takes part in the construction and operation of theISS, with contributions such asColumbus, a science laboratory module that was brought into orbit by NASA'sSTS-122Space Shuttle mission, and theCupola observatory module that was completed in July 2005 byAlenia Spazio for the ESA. The current estimates for the ISS are approaching €100 billion in total (development, construction and 10 years of maintaining the station) of which the ESA has committed to paying €8 billion.[217] About 90% of the costs of the ESA's ISS share will be contributed by Germany (41%), France (28%) and Italy (20%). German ESA astronautThomas Reiter was the first long-term ISS crew member.
ESA has developed theAutomated Transfer Vehicle for ISS resupply. Each ATV has a cargo capacity of 7,667 kilograms (16,903 lb).[218] The first ATV,Jules Verne, was launched on 9 March 2008 and on 3 April 2008 successfully docked with the ISS. This manoeuvre, considered a major technical feat, involved using automated systems to allow the ATV to track the ISS, moving at 27,000 km/h, and attach itself with an accuracy of 2 cm. Five vehicles were launched before the program ended with the launch of the fifth ATV,Georges Lemaître, in 2014.[219]
The ESA has signed co-operation agreements with the following states that currently neither plan to integrate as tightly with ESA institutions as Canada, nor envision future membership of the ESA: Argentina,[263] Brazil,[264] China,[265] India,[266] Russia,[267] and Turkey.[191] Additionally, the ESA has joint projects with theEUSPA of the European Union,NASA of the United States and is participating in theInternational Space Station together with the United States (NASA), Russia (Roscosmos), Japan (JAXA), and Canada (CSA).
TheCentre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) (National Centre for Space Study) is the French government space agency (administratively, a "public establishment of industrial and commercial character"). Its headquarters are in central Paris. CNES is the main participant on the Ariane project. Indeed, CNES designed and tested all Ariane family rockets (mainly from its centre inÉvry near Paris)
TheUK Space Agency is a partnership of the UK government departments which are active in space. Through the UK Space Agency, the partners provide delegates to represent the UK on the various ESA governing bodies. Each partner funds its own programme.
TheItalian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana or ASI) was founded in 1988 to promote, co-ordinate and conduct space activities in Italy. Operating under the Ministry of the Universities and of Scientific and Technological Research, the agency cooperates with numerous entities active in space technology and with the president of the Council of Ministers. Internationally, the ASI provides Italy's delegation to the Council of the European Space Agency and to its subordinate bodies.
TheGerman Aerospace Center (DLR) (German:Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.) is the national research centre for aviation and space flight of the Federal Republic of Germany and of other member states in theHelmholtz Association. Its extensive research and development projects are included in national and international cooperative programmes. In addition to its research projects, the centre is the assigned space agency of Germany bestowing headquarters of German space flight activities and its associates.
TheInstituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) (National Institute for Aerospace Technique) is a Public Research Organisation specialised in aerospace research and technology development in Spain. Among other functions, it serves as a platform for space research and acts as a significant testing facility for the aeronautic and space sector in the country.
The ESA has a long history of collaboration withNASA. Since ESA's astronaut corps was formed, theSpace Shuttle has been the primary launch vehicle used by the ESA's astronauts to get into space through partnership programmes with NASA. In the 1980s and 1990s, theSpacelab programme was an ESA-NASA joint research programme that had the ESA develop and manufacture orbital labs for the Space Shuttle for several flights in which the ESA participates with astronauts in experiments.
In October 2020, ESA entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NASA to collaborate on theArtemis program, which will provide an orbitingLunar Gateway and also accomplish the first crewed lunar landing in 50 years, whose team will include thefirst woman on the Moon. Astronaut selection announcements are expected within two years of the 2024 scheduled launch date.[268] ESA also purchases seats on the NASA operatedCommercial Crew Program. The first ESA astronaut to be on a Commercial Crew Program mission wasThomas Pesquet who launched into space aboardCrew DragonEndeavour on theCrew-2 mission. Following ESA astronauts onCrew Dragon missions wereMatthias Maurer (Crew-3),Samantha Cristoforetti (Crew-4), and others.
ESA and theJapanese Space Agency (JAXA) have engaged in long-standing collaboration in various domains of space exploration, satellite technology, space science, and human spaceflight. Their partnership has evolved over the decades, focusing on joint missions, technology sharing, and international cooperation in space exploration.[271] Some of the programs includeBepiColombo Mission,EarthCARE,Hera, andComet Interceptor.[272][273] In 2025, ESA opened its first Asian office inTokyo, Japan.[274]
ESA and theChinese Space Agency (CNSA) cooperated on development of theDouble Star Mission.[278] In 2017, ESA sent two astronauts to China for two weeks sea survival training with Chinese astronauts inYantai, Shandong.[279] In 2024, the jointEinstein Probe was launched.[280] The jointSMILE mission will launch in 2025 to image for the first time the magnetosphere of the Sun in soft X-rays and UV[281]
The ESA is an independent space agency and not under the jurisdiction of the European Union, although they have common goals, share funding, and work together often.[290] The initial aim of the European Union (EU) was to make the European Space Agency anagency of the EU by 2014.[291] While the EU and its member states fund together 86% of the budget of the ESA, it is not an EU agency. Furthermore, the ESA has several non-EU members, most notably the United Kingdom whichleft the EU while remaining a full member of the ESA. The ESA is partnered with the EU on its two current flagship space programmes, theCopernicus series of Earth observation satellites and theGalileo satellite navigation system, with the ESA providing technical oversight and, in the case of Copernicus, some of the funding.[292] The EU, though, has shown an interest in expanding into new areas, whence the proposal to rename and expand its satellite navigation agency (theEuropean GNSS Agency) into the EU Agency for the Space Programme. The proposal drew strong criticism from the ESA, as it was perceived as encroaching on the ESA's turf.[292]
In January 2021, after years of acrimonious relations, EU and ESA officials mended their relationship, with the EU Internal Market commissionerThierry Breton saying "The European space policy will continue to rely on the ESA and its unique technical, engineering and science expertise," and that the "ESA will continue to be the European agency for space matters.[292] If we are to be successful in our European strategy for space, and we will be, I will need the ESA by my side." ESA director Aschbacher reciprocated, saying "I would really like to make the ESA the main agency, the go-to agency of the European Commission for all its flagship programmes." The ESA andEUSPA are now seen to have distinct roles and competencies, which will be officialised in the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA).[292] Whereas the ESA's focus will be on the technical elements of the EU space programmes, theEUSPA will handle the operational elements of those programmes.[292]
As of 2023, Many other facilities are operated by national space agencies in close collaboration with the ESA. The ESA employs around 2,547 people, and thousands of contractors. Initially, new employees are contracted for an expandable four-year term, which is until the organisation's retirement age of 63. According to the ESA's documents, the staff can receive myriad of perks, such as financial childcare support, retirement plans, and financial help when migrating. The ESA also prevents employees from disclosing any private documents or correspondences to outside parties.Ars Technica's 2023 report, which contained testimonies of 18 people, suggested that there is a widespread harassment between management and its employees, especially with its contractors. Since the ESA is an international organisation, unaffiliated with any single nation, any form of legal action is difficult to raise against the organisation.[293]
On 3 August 1984, the ESA's Paris headquarters were severely damaged and six people were hurt when a bomb exploded. It was planted by the far-left armedAction Directe group.[294]
On 14 December 2015, hackers fromAnonymous breached the ESA's subdomains and leaked thousands of login credentials.[295]
^de Selding, Peter B. (29 July 2015)."Tough Sledding for Proposed ESA Reorganization".Space News.Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved28 July 2015.The four biggest ESA contributors, Germany and France followed by Italy and Britain – together account for 67 percent of the agency's funding – and more if the annual contribution from the European Union is taken into account.
^Svitak, Amy (10 March 2014)."SpaceX Says Falcon 9 To Compete For EELV This Year".Aviation Week. Archived fromthe original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved11 March 2014.ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain is aiming to reduce the agency's development and operational costs in a stark departure from past practice: Until now, the Ariane family of rockets has been built largely with money contributed by ESA governments seeking to participate in the program rather than through competitive industry bids. This means governments commit multiyear funding to the development with the expectation of a roughly 90% return on investment in the form of industrial workshare. But in July, when Dordain presents ESA's member states with industry proposals for building the Ariane 6, he will seek government contributions based on the best value for money, not geographic return on investment. 'To have competitive launchers, we need to rethink the launch sector in Europe.'
^"Agreements 2003".ESA Annual Report 2003(PDF). European Space Agency. pp. 112–113.Archived(PDF) from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved5 May 2009.
Bonnet, Roger; Manno, Vittorio (1994).International Cooperation in Space: The Example of the European Space Agency (Frontiers of Space).Harvard University Press.ISBN0-674-45835-4.
Johnson, Nicholas (1993).Space technologies and space science activities of member states of the European Space Agency.OCLC29768749 .
Peeters, Walter (2000).Space Marketing: A European Perspective (Space Technology Library).ISBN0-7923-6744-8.
Various conventions, treaties, agreements, memorandums, charters or declarations establishing and governing intergovernmental organisations or inter-agency bodies dealing with space affairs
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