Agence spatiale européenne
The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to space exploration, with 22 member states. Founded in 1975, ESA shapes Europe's space capabilities, ensuring investments in space deliver benefits to European citizens, working across the entire space sector. ESA develops and operates Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications, and astronomy satellites and sends probes to explore the solar system, partnering with agencies like NASA, JAXA and commercial partners like Airbus. Key programs include the development of launch vehicles like Ariane and Vega, the Galileo satellite navigation system, and missions like Rosetta and BepiColombo.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The Ariane 5 launched a number of key science missions for the European Space Agency and cargo spacecraft for the International Space Station.
ESA announced in October that it expected Ariane 6's first launch in the fourth quarter of 2023, but declined to provide further updates.
ESA described the lack of a functioning launch vehicle capability as a temporary crisis.
ESA is investigating the potential for a reusable launch vehicle that could include a methane-fueled engine named Prometheus.
The contract for the Falcon 9 launch of Euclid was finalized in late January, months after ESA's initial announcement.
The European Space Agency is working on proposals to implement the High-Level Advisory Group's recommendations.
The ERMIS initiative is led by the European Space Agency (ESA) on behalf of the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance to expand Greece’s nascent space industry.
Marcus Wandt, a Swedish Air Force pilot selected by ESA as a reserve astronaut in November 2022, will fly on the Axiom commercial flight funded by ESA and the Swedish National Space Agency.
An independent High-Level Advisory Group recommended in March that ESA pursue the ability to launch its own astronauts and develop crewed spacecraft and potentially commercial space stations and lunar missions.
The Falcon 9 launch of Sentinel-6A and Crew Dragon flights carrying ESA astronauts were procured and overseen by NASA rather than by ESA.
Iris is an air traffic modernization program developed by the European Space Agency with Inmarsat.
ESA originally planned the first Ariane 6 launch for 2020 but development delays have pushed the first launch by several years.
The Arctic Weather Satellite is funded under a contract with the European Space Agency under the Earth Watch program.
The European Space Agency is leading efforts on behalf of the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance to expand Greece’s nascent space industry as part of the nation’s EU-funded Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Assembly of the first flight model of Ariane 6 is planned to begin in November in French Guiana according to an ESA update published 2023-06-08.
The European Space Agency regularly used Ariane 5 for science missions and for five Automated Transfer Vehicle cargo spacecraft launches to the International Space Station between 2008 and 2014.
In October 2022, ESA projected the first Ariane 6 launch to take place in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The European Space Agency performed an assisted decommissioning of the now-retired Aeolus satellite to demonstrate responsible end-of-mission practices and reduce on-orbit space debris.
SpaceX launched the ESA Euclid mission on 2023-07-01 at 11:12 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The Arctic Weather Satellite is funded under a contract with the European Space Agency under the Earth Watching program.