European Space Agency

European Space Agency or ESA (ESA; French: Agence spatiale européenne, ASE) is an international organisation with 22 member countries. Its job is to explore space.

European Space Agency

Czech: Evropská kosmická agentura Danish: Den Europæiske Rumfartsorganisation German: Europäische Weltraumorganisation Estonian: Euroopa Kosmoseagentuur French: Agence spatiale européenne Finnish: Euroopan avaruusjärjestö Greek: Ευρωπαϊκός Οργανισμός Διαστήματος Hungarian: Európai Űrügynökség Irish: Gníomhaireacht Spáis na hEorpa Italian: Agenzia Spaziale Europea Luxembourgish: Europäesch Weltraumorganisatioun Dutch: Europese Ruimtevaartorganisatie Norwegian: Den europeiske romfartsorganisasjon Nynorsk: Den europeiske romfartsorganisasjonen Polish: Europejska Agencja Kosmiczna Portuguese: Agência Espacial Europeia Romanian: Agenția Spațială Europeană Romansh: Agenzia spaziala europeica Spanish: Agencia Espacial Europea Swedish: Europeiska rymdorganisationen
ESA Headquarters in Paris, France
Abbreviation	ESA ASE
Formation	30 May 1975; 49 years ago (1975-05-30)
Headquarters	Paris, Île-de-France, France
Official language	English, French and German[1][2]
Administrator	Johann-Dietrich Wörner Director General
Primary spaceport	Guiana Space Centre
Parent organisation	22 European states  Austria  Belgium  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Germany  Greece  Hungary  Ireland  Italy  Luxembourg  Netherlands  Norway  Poland  Portugal  Romania  Spain  Sweden   Switzerland  United Kingdom
Budget	€5.72 billion (~US$6.43 billion) (2019)[3]
Website	www.esa.int

Its headquarters are in Paris, France. ESA has a staff of more than 2,000 with an annual budget of about €4.43 billion / US$5.51 billion (2015).^[4]

The member countries of ESA are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

ESA's space flight programme includes

• human spaceflight,
• the launch and operations of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon,
• Earth observation.
• running a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana,
• designing launch vehicles.

The main European launch vehicle Ariane 5 is operated through Arianespace with ESA sharing in the costs of launching and further developing this launch vehicle.

On February 21, 2024, the agency's ERS-2 satellite came into the atmosphere of the Earth.^[5][6] The gravitational field (or gravity) of Earth [resulted] in the satellite ending up hitting the ocean.^[5] Earlier the satellite functioned (or worked) as a European Remote-Sensing Satellite.^[7]