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European Space Agency (ESA)

FR

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.

gov civilFounded 1975
Paris
www.esa.int/sme
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All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.

NASA signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Space Agency on 2020-10-27 in which ESA agreed to build the European System Providing Refueling, Infrastructure and Telecommunications (ESPRIT) element and the I-Hab and to produce additional Orion service modules.

RelationshipsPlanValue 5.0Jan 13, 2021NASA and Japan finalize Gateway agreement

Leaf Space’s ground segment services are used by institutional customers including the European Space Agency, Telespazio-Leonardo, and the Indian Space Research Organisation.

RelationshipsValue 3.8Jan 13, 2021Leaf Space Coffers Enriched By Millions Of Euros In Series A Funding

Exotrail signed contracts in 2020 worth more than 1,000,000 EUR with customers including the European Space Agency, the French space agency CNES, and AAC Clyde Space.

RelationshipsFinancialValue 4.7Jan 12, 2021Exotrail demonstrates miniature Hall-effect thruster in orbit

In March 2020 NASA selected the first two scientific investigations to fly aboard the Gateway, one from NASA and one from ESA.

PlanGeneralValue 3.5Jan 12, 2021Gateway Partnership For Artemis Program Signed by NASA + Government of Japan

In October 2020 NASA and ESA signed an agreement in which ESA will provide the I-Hab module and refueling modules for the Gateway and will provide enhanced lunar communications.

RelationshipsCapabilityValue 4.4Jan 12, 2021Gateway Partnership For Artemis Program Signed by NASA + Government of Japan

Thales Alenia Space signed a contract with ESA worth 2,800,000 EUR for the study, design, manufacture, and test of the ATHENA Mirror Assembly Module Demonstrator.

RelationshipsFinancialCapabilityPlanValue 4.6Jan 10, 2021Thales Alenia Space Providing The Mirror Assembly Module Demonstrator for ESA’s ATHENA Mission

Josef Aschbacher has been director of Earth observation at the European Space Agency since 2016.

GovernanceValue 3.5Jan 8, 2021ESA director general to retire early

The European Space Agency signed a nearly €296 million ($362,000,000) contract with Thales Alenia Space on 2021-01-07 to build a European module for NASA’s lunar Gateway space station.

RelationshipsFinancialPlanGeneralValue 5.0Jan 8, 2021Thales Alenia Space given €296 million contract to build European Gateway module

Josef Aschbacher will take over as director general of the European Space Agency on 2021-03-01.

GovernanceValue 4.0Jan 8, 2021ESA director general to retire early

Jan Wörner’s contract with the European Space Agency runs until 2021-06-30.

RelationshipsValue 4.0Jan 8, 2021ESA director general to retire early

The combined SMART effort will leverage the Landsat constellation managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey and the European Space Agency’s Sentinel constellation.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.5Jan 6, 2021Black Sky Receives Multi-Year Research Contract From IARPA

ESA’s optical ground station in Tenerife, Spain, and other ground stations will support downlinking of data from the demonstration.

CapabilityGeneralValue 3.0Jan 5, 2021Hyperion’s Laser Comms Terminal To Fly Into Space In 2022

The European Space Agency plans to launch a space-debris-collection mission in 2025.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Jan 4, 2021Japan to launch the first wood-based satellite by 2023 to reduce space debris

SENER Aeroespacial in Poland signed a contract to design, manufacture, and test Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE) to support integration of the European Space Agency's PLATO mission probe.

RelationshipsCapabilityPlanValue 4.4Jan 3, 2021SENER Aeroespacial To Provide MGSE Equipment For ESA’s PLATO Mission

Nanoracks equipped the International Space Station with the Bishop Airlock in cooperation with NASA, the European Space Agency, and industry partners.

RelationshipsValue 4.0Dec 28, 2020Voyager Space Holdings Intends To Obtain Majority Stake In XO Markets + Nanoracks

Galileo is 100% financed by the European Union with the European Space Agency acting as the implementing agency.

FinancialGeneralValue 4.0Dec 28, 2020Brexit deal to allow UK to continue being part of Copernicus program

Galileo is financed 100% by the European Union with the European Space Agency as the implementing agency.

FinancialGeneralValue 4.3Dec 27, 2020Brexit deal allows UK to continue participation in Copernicus

The ESA Clean Space team began initial plasma wind tunnel testing in 2015 on materials used in satellite construction, including aluminum titanium alloy and stainless steel.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Dec 23, 2020ESA Clean Space tackles space junk one component at a time

The European Space Agency launched the Clean Space initiative in 2012 to consider the environmental impact of the agency’s missions across their entire life cycle.

LegalGeneralValue 2.0Dec 23, 2020ESA Clean Space tackles space junk one component at a time

ESA awarded LusoSpace a contract in early 2019 under the Generic Support Technology Program with a small contribution from ESA’s Earth Observation Program to qualify a larger magnetorquer and produce a new line of components.

RelationshipsPlanValue 4.6Dec 23, 2020ESA Clean Space tackles space junk one component at a time
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