European Space Agency
European organization dedicated to space exploration / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The European Space Agency (ESA)[lower-alpha 1] is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states[7] dedicated to the exploration of space. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,200, as of 2018,[8] and an annual budget of about €7.08 billion, as of 2023.[update][4]
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.jpg) European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) Main Control Room, Darmstadt, Germany | |
| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 30 May 1975; 48 years ago (1975-05-30) |
| Type | Space agency |
| Headquarters | Paris, Île-de-France, France 48°50′54″N 02°18′15″E |
| Official language | English and French (working languages) [1][2] |
| Administrator | Director General Josef Aschbacher |
| Primary spaceport | Guiana Space Centre |
| Owners | |
| Employees | 2,200[3] |
| Annual budget |  €7.08 billion (2023)[4] |
| Website | www |
ESA's space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of un-crewed exploration missions to other planets (such as Mars) and the Moon; Earth observation, science and telecommunication; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou (French Guiana), France. The main European launch vehicle Ariane 6 will be operated through Arianespace with ESA sharing in the costs of launching and further developing this launch vehicle. The agency is also working with NASA to manufacture the Orion spacecraft service module that flies on the Space Launch System.[9][10]