European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA), pronounced 'ee-sah', is a group of 23 countries working together to explore space. It was created in 1975 to help Europe join the exciting world of space travel and discovery. Today, ESA has offices around the world and about 3,000 people helping to plan and carry out amazing space projects.

ESA works on many important tasks. People from ESA help with the International Space Station, a special home in space where astronauts from many countries live and work. They also team up with NASA on the Artemis project, which aims to send people back to the Moon. ESA builds and sends robots to explore places like Mars, Jupiter, and even faraway stars.

Besides sending people and robots into space, ESA watches our planet from above with special cameras on satellites. These help us understand how Earth is changing and how we can take care of it. ESA also makes satellites that help us talk on the phone, watch TV, or find our way with maps. All of these projects show how important space is to our everyday lives.

Mission

The European Space Agency works to help European countries work together in space research and technology. Its goal is to use space for peaceful purposes, like scientific discoveries and practical systems that help people on Earth.

The agency sets goals for space projects and brings together programs from different countries. In 2025, the member states also allowed ESA to work on space technologies for security and defence. The idea is that space can improve life on Earth, make us safer, and inspire young people to learn about science and technology.

History

After World War II, many European scientists moved to the United States to work. By the 1950s, Western European countries could invest in research, including space activities, but they realized that working alone would not let them compete with larger space programs. In 1958, two scientists, Edoardo Amaldi from Italy and Pierre Auger from France, met to discuss creating a shared space agency for Western Europe. This meeting included scientists from eight countries.

Western European nations decided to create two agencies. One was for building launch systems, called ELDO, and the other was the start of the European Space Agency, called ESRO. ESRO began in 1964. From 1968 to 1972, ESRO launched seven research satellites, but ELDO struggled to build successful launch vehicles. Both agencies faced money issues and differing goals among their members.

The European Space Agency, or ESA, was officially created in 1975 when ESRO and ELDO merged. Ten countries joined together: Belgium, Denmark, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. These countries signed an agreement in 1975, and by 1980, the ESA was fully formed and active.

In its early years, ESA launched important science missions. One of the first was Cos-B, a satellite to study gamma-ray emissions from space. ESA also worked with NASA on the International Ultraviolet Explorer, a telescope launched in 1978 that worked for 18 years. Other projects included studying comets with Giotto, mapping stars with Hipparcos, and joining NASA on missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini–Huygens probe to Saturn.

ESA also built rockets for launching satellites. The Ariane 1 rocket launched in 1979, and later versions like Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 helped ESA become a leader in commercial space launches. In 1998, ESA began developing the Vega rocket for smaller payloads.

The first European astronaut to travel to space was Ulf Merbold in 1983 aboard the American Space Shuttle. ESA astronauts have since flown on both Space Shuttle and Russian Soyuz missions. In the 1980s and 1990s, ESA considered building its own space station and spacecraft, but later joined the International Space Station program instead.

In the 2000s, ESA became a major player in space research, working with agencies like NASA and JAXA. ESA sent satellites to study the Moon, Mars, and Venus, and launched important telescopes like INTEGRAL and Herschel_ to observe the universe. Earth-observing satellites such as Envisat and CryoSat-2 helped scientists understand our planet.

In the 2010s, ESA added new modules to the International Space Station and continued sending astronauts there. The agency’s Rosetta mission became the first spacecraft to orbit a comet and land on it in 2014. ESA also began launching new satellite systems like Galileo for navigation and Copernicus for Earth observation.

In the 2020s, ESA faced changes due to international events, but continued to advance space exploration. The agency added new parts to the International Space Station and supported missions to Mercury, Jupiter, and beyond. ESA also worked on new rockets like Ariane 6 and supported projects to protect space safety.

Facilities

The European Space Agency has many important places where it works and plans its space missions. These places are spread out across different countries in Europe.

Some of the main places include the agency's headquarters in Paris, France. Science missions are planned at ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands. Earth observation missions are managed at the ESA Centre for Earth Observation in Frascati, Italy. Mission control is located at ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany. Astronauts are trained at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany.

There are also many other important centers across Europe, working together with the agency. These include places in England, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, and more.

Programmes

Main article: List of European Space Agency programmes and missions

The European Space Agency has two main types of programmes: mandatory and optional. Every member state must help with the mandatory programmes, which are decided together by all members. These include important science projects like Horizon 2000, Horizon 2000 Plus, Cosmic Vision, and Voyage 2050, as well as technology development efforts.

Member states can choose to join optional programmes based on their own interests. These cover many areas, such as building rockets like the Ariane rocket family and Vega, watching Earth from space with Copernicus, exploring space with projects like Aurora, and improving communication systems including Galileo for better navigation. There are also programmes focused on keeping space travel safe and supporting new technology development.

Member states, funding, and budget

Member states of the European Space Agency participate in different ways, with some programmes that all members must support and others that each country can choose to join. In the past, about a quarter of the money came from these shared programmes, with the rest coming from the optional ones that countries could pick. The agency has a rule that money given by members is used to pay companies in those same countries for work they do.

By 2015, the ESA had 22 member countries. The amount of money the ESA used each year grew over time. In 2008, it was about €3 billion, and by 2024, it had risen to about €7.8 billion. The ESA’s work is done in two main languages, English and French, with some documents also in German and Italian.

Since March 2026, five countries have become associate members: Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Canada. These countries work closely with the ESA but in slightly different ways. Canada, for example, has worked with the ESA since 1979 and helps with many of the agency’s projects. In April 2026, Canada and the ESA signed an agreement to share important information to help with things like disaster response and security.

The ESA gets its money each year from the governments of its member countries and also from the European Union. Every few years, the members meet to decide on a plan for how much money to use and where to spend it over the next few years. Countries can also have their own space programmes, and sometimes they work together with the ESA on special projects.

Launch vehicles

The European Space Agency uses two main rockets, Vega C and Ariane 6, for launching satellites into space. These launches are handled by Arianespace, a company with many partners in the space industry, from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. Launches from this location can send heavier satellites into space because they are closer to the Earth's equator, where the planet spins faster.

Ariane 6

Main article: Ariane 6

Ariane 6 is a strong rocket designed to carry very heavy loads into space. It had its first successful test flight in July 2024.

Vega-C

Main article: Vega-C

Vega-C is a rocket used by the ESA for launching smaller satellites. It can carry between 300 and 1500 kg into space. The first Vega rocket launched in February 2012, and the larger Vega-C version flew for the first time in July 2022. This newer version can handle bigger jobs, like sending up more than one satellite at the same time.

Future rocket development

Future projects include new technologies like the Prometheus engine and Themis, which aim to make future rockets even better.

Human spaceflight

See also: European Astronaut Corps

At first, the European Space Agency (ESA) focused on scientific research without human spaceflight. The first European in space besides Soviet and American astronauts was Czechoslovak Vladimír Remek in 1978, flying on a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. Later, Jean-Loup Chrétien became the first astronaut from outside the old Communist Bloc to fly to a Soviet space station in 1982.

The first official ESA astronaut was German Ulf Merbold, who flew on the STS-9 Space Shuttle mission in 1983. This mission also used the European-built Spacelab, marking the start of many joint missions with NASA. ESA continued working with the Soviet Union and later Russia on human spaceflight. By 2006, the ESA astronaut corps included twelve members from many European countries.

In 2008, ESA looked for new astronauts, and almost 10,000 people applied. After tests and interviews, six new astronauts were chosen — five men and one woman.

In the 1980s, France wanted Europe to have its own way to send astronauts into space. A plan for a small reusable spacecraft called Hermes was started but later stopped. In the 2000s, ESA worked on new ideas for spacecraft, such as Hopper and working with Russia on the Kliper. In 2012, ESA joined NASA’s Orion programme to help build a module for NASA’s new spacecraft.

See also: European contribution to the International Space Station

ESA helps build and run the International Space Station (ISS). Eleven ESA member countries take part in this project. ESA’s parts include the Columbus science lab and the Cupola observatory. German astronaut Thomas Reiter was the first ESA astronaut to stay on the ISS for a long time.

ESA also made an unmanned vehicle called the Automated Transfer Vehicle to carry supplies to the ISS. The first one, named Jules Verne, successfully docked with the ISS in 2008. Five of these vehicles were used before the program ended in 2014.

European Life and Physical Sciences research on the ISS is mainly based on the European Programme for Life and Physical Sciences in Space programme that began in 2001.

CubeSats

Since the 2010s, ESA has launched many CubeSat-type small satellites through different programs.

The General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) supports small satellite missions, including several CubeSats such as GOMX-3, GOMX-4B, QARMAN, OPS-SAT, SIMBA, PICASSO, RadCube, Sunstorm, PRETTY, PROBA-V CubeSat Companion, GENA-OT, CubeSpec, GOMX-5, HENON, e.Inspector, VULCAIN, LUMIO, M-ARGO, AOS-P and AOS-D, and SROC.

The Fly Your Satellite! (FYS) program is for student teams creating CubeSats or PocketQubes. Examples include AAUSAT5, e-sta@r-II, OUFTI-1, AAUSAT4, LEDSAT, EIRSAT-1, ISTSat-1 and ³Cat-4, and FrontierSat.

The FutureEO Programme includes Phi-Sat-1, Intuition-1, and Phi-Sat-2.

The InCubed program supports new technologies for Earth observation satellities with missions such as MANTIS, Hyperfield, AIX, HiVE, FOREST-3, and TALISMAN.

The Space Safety Programme (S2P) includes Juventas and Milani, PRELUDE, Farinella and Don Quijote, and Satis.

Other programs include the Greek CubeSat In-Orbit Validation with DUTHSat-2, MICE-1, PHASMA, ERMIS, OptiSat, PeakSat, and Hellenic Space Dawn.

The Pioneer Partnership Projects include Spire Global SaaS and VIREON.

The In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) program supports missions such as Tom & Jerry, CASSINI IHE1-1, IHE-1-4, and IHE1-5.

The Small Missions for Exploration will include VMMO.

Cooperation with other countries and organisations

The European Space Agency works with many countries and space organisations around the world. It has agreements with nations like Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Russia, and Turkey, which are not full members but want to work closely with ESA. ESA also partners with the EUSPA of the European Union, NASA of the United States, and takes part in the International Space Station with NASA, Russia (Roscosmos), Japan (JAXA), and Canada (CSA).

ESA and NASA have a long history of working together. They have joined forces on many important projects, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. In 2020, they planned to work together on the Artemis program, which aimed to send people back to the Moon. ESA also buys seats for its astronauts on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, like when Thomas Pesquet flew on the Crew Dragon Endeavour for the Crew-2 mission.

ESA also works with the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) on projects like the BepiColombo Mission and opened its first office in Tokyo, Japan, in 2025. With the Chinese Space Agency (CNSA), ESA launched the Einstein Probe in 2024 and plans to launch the SMILE mission in 2026. ESA supports the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and has cooperated with the African Union’s African Space Agency (AfSA) since 2023.

Link between ESA and EU

Main article: European Union Space Programme § EU/ESA Space Council

The European Space Agency (ESA) is its own organization and not part of the European Union (EU), but they share many goals and often work together. The EU helps fund most of the ESA's projects, and they team up on big space programs like the Copernicus series of Earth observation satellites and the Galileo satellite navigation system. Even though the ESA is not an EU agency, they support each other’s work. In 2021, leaders from both groups agreed to keep working closely together, with the ESA focusing on the technical side of space projects and the EU handling operations. This partnership helps Europe stay strong in space exploration.

Employment

The European Space Agency employs around 2,547 people, with many more working as contractors. New employees usually start with a four-year contract. The ESA offers benefits such as help with childcare and retirement plans.

The ESA keeps private employee information safe and does not allow it to be shared outside the organization.

Security incidents

In August 1984, a bomb damaged the ESA’s office in Paris and hurt several people. The bomb was placed by a group called Action Directe.

In December 2015, some people called Anonymous broke into ESA’s computer systems and shared many login details online.

Later in December 2025, ESA’s computers had another problem with information being accessed improperly, though how serious this was is still discussed.