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.
Avio postponed the launch of ESA’s SMILE mission aboard a Vega C rocket after an issue was identified on the production line of a subsystem component.
ESA Member States approved Avio’s split from Arianespace during the 2023 Space Summit in Seville, allowing Avio to market and manage Vega C launches independently.
The European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly developed the SMILE spacecraft.
On April 3, the European Space Agency said that SMILE had been stacked atop its Vega-C rocket on the launch pad after testing and checkouts.
Persei Space leads the ECO-Tethers study, a European Space Agency-funded contract that includes Thales Alenia Space Italia and Astroscale France.
Persei Space is currently incubated at ESA-BIC Madrid and the Fundación para el Conocimiento madri+d.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences is providing the UltraViolet Imager, the Light Ion Analyzers, the spacecraft platform, and in-space operations through the European Space Agency’s ESTRACK network.
Telespazio leads Moonlight, an ESA program for lunar telecommunications and navigation.
Thales Alenia Space is developing the European lunar lander Argonaut for ESA in Turin.
The European Space Agency provided NASA with the European Service Module for Orion.
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot used the Aphrodite device during an approximately 8-month stay on the International Space Station.
LUMIO is part of ESA's General Support Technology Programme.
The European Space Agency's LUMIO mission is scheduled to launch starting in 2027.
The European Space Agency is building optical ground stations through programs like ScyLight and HydRON.
ESA’s JUICE mission observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in November 2025 while traveling to Jupiter and its icy moons.
The Artemis program is a NASA-led program carried out with ESA, the Italian Space Agency, and other international space agencies.
The European Space Agency’s Quantum Key Distribution Satellite program is part of the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems partnership projects initiative.
Redwire won a quantum-secure satellite contract in Europe under the European Space Agency’s Quantum Key Distribution Satellite program.
ESA secured three spots aboard Artemis missions for its astronauts in return for its contributions to the Gateway space station.
The eight ESA BIC locations in Spain are in Andalusia, Catalonia, Madrid, Castile and Leon, the Valencian Community, Castile-La Mancha, the Basque Country, and Murcia.