History and Foundation:
– ESA was founded in 1975 through the merger of ESRO and ELDO.
– ESRO, established in 1964, launched seven research satellites.
– ELDO faced challenges in delivering a launch vehicle.
– The ESA Convention was signed in 1975 by ten founding member states.
– European scientists proposed a common space agency in 1958, leading to the establishment of ESRO and ELDO in the 1960s.
Activities and Programs:
– ESA collaborated with NASA on missions like Giotto and Hipparcos.
– Ariane rockets were developed for commercial and scientific payloads.
– Notable programs include SMART-1, Mars Express, and Venus Express missions.
– ESA contributes to the ISS partnership with the Ariane 5 rocket.
– Scientific projects focus on astronomy-space missions, with plans for lunar regolith mining and missions like Euclid spacecraft.
Facilities and Notable Locations:
– ESA’s headquarters is in Paris, France.
– The Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana is a major spaceport.
– ESTEC in the Netherlands serves as a key technical center.
– Other facilities include Esrange in Sweden, Toulouse Space Centre in France, and the Institute of Space Propulsion in Germany.
– ESA works on projects related to Earth observation, science, and telecommunications.
Membership, Funding, and Budget:
– ESA had 22 member states in 2015.
– Member states have varying participation in mandatory and optional programs.
– Budgets increased from €3.0 billion in 2008 to €4.33 billion in 2015.
– Official languages include English, French, and German.
– Contributions by member states are crucial for ESA’s operations.
Expansion and Membership Growth:
– New members like Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Canada have joined ESA.
– Slovenia applied for full membership in 2023.
– Latvia became an associated member in 2020.
– Lithuania became the third associated member in 2021.
– Slovakia and Canada became associate members in 2023, enhancing international cooperation within ESA.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 22-member intergovernmental body devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,200 people globally as of 2022, ESA was founded in 1975. Its 2024 annual budget was €7.8 billion.
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.jpg) Main control room of the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany | |
| Agency overview | |
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| Abbreviation |
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| Formed | 30 May 1975 |
| Type | Space agency |
| Headquarters | Paris, France 48°50′54″N 02°18′15″E / 48.84833°N 2.30417°E |
| Official language | English, French and German (working languages) |
| Administrator | Josef Aschbacher (Director General of the European Space Agency) |
| Primary spaceport | Guiana Space Centre |
| Owners | |
| Employees | 2,200 (2021) |
| Annual budget |  €7.8 billion (2024) |
| Website | www |
ESA's space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of crewless exploration missions to other planets (such as Mars) and the Moon; Earth observation, science and telecommunication; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou (French Guiana), France. The main European launch vehicle Ariane 6 will be operated through Arianespace with ESA sharing in the costs of launching and further developing this launch vehicle. The agency is also working with NASA to manufacture the Orion spacecraft service module that flies on the Space Launch System.
