The European Space Agency (ESA)

The European Space Agency (ESA)is a 23-member International organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 in the context of European integration. Its 2025 annual budget was €7.7 billion.

The ESA Human and Robotic Exploration programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station programme); as well as the launch and operation of crewless exploration missions to other planets such as Mars, Moon, Jupiter and Mercury, Earth observation, science and telecommunication missions, designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou (French Guiana). Further programmes include space safety, satellite navigation, applications and commercialisation.

The main European launch vehicle Ariane 6 is operated through Arianespace with ESA sharing in the costs of launching and further developing the launch vehicle. The agency also collaborates with NASA to manufacture the Orion spacecraft service module ESM which flies on the Space Launch System.