European Space Agency

Not to be confused with European Union Agency for the Space Programme.
"ESA" redirects here. For other uses, see ESA (disambiguation).

European Space Agency
  • Czech: Evropská kosmická agentura
  • Danish: Den Europæiske Rumorganisation
  • German: Europäische Weltraumorganisation
  • Estonian: Euroopa Kosmoseagentuur
  • French: Agence spatiale européenne
  • Finnish: Euroopan avaruusjärjestö
  • Greek: Ευρωπαϊκός Οργανισμός Διαστήματος
  • Hungarian: Európai Űrügynökség
  • Irish: Gníomhaireacht Spáis na hEorpa
  • Italian: Agenzia Spaziale Europea
  • Luxembourgish: Europäesch Weltraumorganisatioun
  • Dutch: Europese Ruimtevaartorganisatie
  • Norwegian: Den europeiske romfartsorganisasjon
  • Polish: Europejska Agencja Kosmiczna
  • Portuguese: Agência Espacial Europeia
  • Romanian: Agenția Spațială Europeană
  • Romansh: Agenzia spaziala europeica
  • Spanish: Agencia Espacial Europea
  • Swedish: Europeiska rymdorganisationen
Logo
Main control room of the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany
Agency overview
Abbreviation
  • ESA
  • ASE
  • EW
Formed30 May 1975; 49 years ago (1975-05-30)
TypeSpace agency
HeadquartersParis, France
48°50′54″N 02°18′15″E / 48.84833°N 2.30417°E / 48.84833; 2.30417
Official languageEnglish, French and German (working languages)[1][2]
AdministratorJosef Aschbacher (Director General of the European Space Agency)
Primary spaceportGuiana Space Centre
OwnersMember states:
Council members:
Associate members:
Cooperation agreements:[3]
Employees2,547 (2023)[4]
Annual budgetIncrease €7.8 billion (2024)[5]
Websiteesa.int Edit this at Wikidata

The European Space Agency (ESA)[a] is a 22-member intergovernmental body devoted to space exploration.[8] With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, the ESA was founded in 1975. Its 2024 annual budget was €7.8 billion.[9][5]

The 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 the 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.[10][11]

  1. ^ "Languages". Archived from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  2. ^ esa. "Frequently asked questions". Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  3. ^ "ESA Member States and Cooperating States". European Space Agency. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  4. ^ "ESA facts". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b "ESA budget 2024". www.esa.int.
  6. ^ "Annex 1 Resolution 8". ESA Convention and Council Rules of Procedure (PDF) (5th ed.). European Space Agency. March 2010. p. 116. ISBN 978-92-9092-965-9. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  7. ^ "Agence spatiale européenne (ASE)" [European Space Agency (ESA)]. 23 February 2017. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Welcome to ESA: New Member States". ESA. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  9. ^ esa. "What is ESA?". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Orion". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  11. ^ "European Service Module". European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.


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