European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) is an inter-governmental organisation with a mission to provide and promote the exploitation of Space science, research & technology and Space applications. It is responsible for the development of the Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 satellite launcher.

The precursor of the European Space Agency, ESRO[?] (European Space Research Organization) was established on March 20, 1964 per an agreement signed on June 14, 1962.

The ESA consists of fifteen member states: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Its projects include:

• Galileo positioning system - a proposed satellite positioning system
• Mars Express - a space probe to Mars
• Rosetta - a planned space mission to land on a comet
• Columbus orbital facility - a science laboratory that is part of the ISS
• ATV - an Automated Transfer vehicle, i.e. a space freighter comparable to Progress for the ISS
• Hipparcos - a space-based astrometry mission

The ESA has also collaborated with NASA on several missions:

• Hubble Space Telescope
• Ulysses

The ESA has a staff of about 1,700. Its 1999 budget was 2,650.8 million euros.

See also:

• Space exploration
• NASA
• Earth
• Kourou

External link

• ESA home page (http://www.esa.int)