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.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said studies were underway in June to raise the Ariane 6 launch cadence to 12, 15, or 20 flights per year.
The Noordwijk ground lease advances a public-private partnership managed by SES with ESA and the European Commission.
EAGLE-1 is being developed through a collaboration among ESA, the European Commission, and an industrial consortium led by SES.
ESA conducted a feasibility study with Arianespace to confirm that CubeSats could be safely accommodated as secondary payloads on an Ariane 6 flight.
The optical ground station is being built at the NL Space Campus in Noordwijk, next to the European Space Agency’s ESTEC technical hub.
ESA’s feasibility study found that up to four 16U CubeSats can fit in the Ariane 6 launch architecture.
ESA expects Henon to independently venture into deep space, communicate directly with Earth, and maneuver to its final destination without relying on a larger spacecraft.
The European Space Agency has awarded a contract to launch its solar storm-monitoring Henon CubeSat on an Ariane 6 rocket.
The Henon CubeSat is scheduled to launch in early 2027 as a secondary passenger alongside ESA’s PLATO telescope.
ESA and Arianespace conducted a feasibility study to confirm that CubeSats could be safely accommodated as secondary payloads aboard an Ariane 6 flight.
Henon is scheduled to launch in early 2027 as a secondary passenger alongside ESA’s PLATO telescope.
Arianespace won the launch contract for ESA’s PLATO mission in January 2025.
Thales Alenia Space developed the European Service Module (ESM) of Orion under the industrial responsibility of Airbus Defence and Space for ESA.
Thales Alenia Space will develop the Argonaut lunar descent module for ESA.
Italy held the presidency of the ESA Council of Ministers during Teodoro Valente’s tenure.
Arianespace was awarded the launch contract for ESA’s PLATO mission in January 2025.
ESA can fit up to four 16U CubeSats in the Ariane 6 launch architecture studied for Henon.
The ESA development program is funded under the Space for 5G/6G & Sustainable Connectivity line within ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems Strategic Product Line.
Keysight Technologies is the prime contractor for the ESA development program and is collaborating with Sateliot on technical development and core satellite mission integration.
ESA’s contract for the EAGLE-1 system, including the satellite and ground systems, was valued at approximately €130 million.