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.
La ESA estima que existen aproximadamente 1,1 millones de objetos de más de un centímetro en órbita terrestre.
ClearSpace está trabajando estrechamente con la ESA en el proyecto ClearSpace-1, que demostrará operaciones de eliminación activa de basura espacial.
The International Astronomical Union approved the naming of 10 asteroids in 2025 after people and places associated with the European Space Agency’s efforts to protect Earth from asteroids and comets.
A French parliamentary committee raised concerns about German and Italian space spending during the ratification of the ESA's Paris headquarters agreement.
The asteroid provisionally known as 2021 FE40 has been officially named (810657) ESOC after ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.
ESOC serves as the administrative centre for ESA’s Space Safety Programme.
Asteroid ESOC is one of 10 asteroids that received names in 2025 to honour ESA’s Planetary Defence activities.
ESA adjusted the timeline for the launch of the demonstration mission to ideally occur before 2028 and no later than 2030.
ESA has not reported progress towards the initial low-altitude flight of Themis since the transfer to the launch pad.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is waiting for spring to launch a test of its reusable rocket demonstrator Themis in Sweden.
In May 2024, ESA awarded Phase 1 contracts to The Exploration Company and Thales Alenia Space.
In December 2023, ESA published a call for proposals for the first phase of the initiative.
ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander announced that Member States agreed to fund two Phase 2 contracts.
ESA will accept proposals for demonstration missions to a future commercial LEO destination by the end of 2030.
On 8 January 2026, ESA published a call for proposals for Phase 2, renamed the Autonomous LEO Accelerated Demo Docking to ISS Node (ALADDIN) initiative.
ESA is opening a second 'Slice' of Phase 2 that allows bidders to submit proposals for a demonstration mission to a future commercial space station by the end of 2031.
ESA aims to conduct the first test of Themis in the first quarter of 2026.
NASA's Crew-12 mission will send NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Jonny Kim, ESA's Sophie Adenot, and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the International Space Station.
ESA began work on the Themis project in 2019 to develop reusable rocket technology for future European launch systems.
Slimop Space has received funding from the European Space Agency through the ESA BIC Barcelona program.