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 a 22-member intergovernmental body devoted to space exploration[7]. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,200 people globally as of 2018, ESA was founded in 1975. By 2023, it will have an annual budget of about €7.08 billion[8][4].
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.jpg) European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) Main Control Room, Darmstadt, Germany | |
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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 |
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ESA's space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of crewless 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]