European Space Agency
Founded: 1975
Type: Multinational
Total launch count:
Administrator: Director General: Josef Aschbacher
Nationality: FRA,ITA,DEU,ESP,CHE,GBR,AUT,SWE,BEL,PRT,NLD,HUN,POL,DNK,CZE,ROU,NOR,FIN,GRC,EST,IRL,LUX,SVN
Description: The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, France, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,000 employees. ESA's space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon; Earth observation, science and telecommunication; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana.