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 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

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