European space agency or ESA, European Space Agency , is a space agency founded May 31st, 1975. It is in charge of the coordination of the space projects of 17 European countries , of which each one holds a voice with the council .

The managing director, elected by the council every four years, is in 2006 Jean-Jacques Dordain .

The budget 2006 of the ESA is estimated at 2  904 million Euro S. In 2005 the manpower of the ESA as a personnel rose with 1907 people.

The contribution of each European citizen for civil space reaches only the 1/4 of that of a citizen of the the United States. , the ESA managed the program ARIANE, which gave its space independence to Europe, after the failure of the program Europa 2: these repeated failures of the rocket Europa (7 failures in 1972 out of 7 launchings, because of a bad coordination), had discouraged the european partners, and initially only the “France gaullist” wished to continue a space program to free from the American supervision (see the North-American refusal to launch in 1972 the commercial satellite Franco-German, " Symphonie").

After delicate negotiations between France, Germany and the United Kingdom, an agreement was found fine 1973 to start again a project of satellite launcher, which will be named later ARIANE . The control of work was entrusted to the French CNES (National center of space studies), and the motorization at the French company European Société of propulsion (SEP).

This ARIANE rocket, which is with its fifth version major, is launched since the base of Kourou in Guyana: the ESA finances two thirds of the annual budget of the Guianese Space center, and also paid its modernization for the setting at the data point of the launchers ARIANE.

The ESA manages moreover program series scientists or of R & D technological, as well as application programs (telecom, navigation, observation of the Ground).

Member States

The countries participating in the ESA do not form necessarily part of the European Union and conversely: thus the Norway and the Suisse are members of the ESA; a contrario the countries having adhered in 2004 to the European Union is not members.

The Greece and the Luxembourg them became members of the ESA in 2005.

Five countries are candidates at the Agency: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Romania. Three of these countries already signed agreements with the ESA (see below).

The Canada is an associated member, State cooperating with privileged statute.

The 17 Member States (except Canada) are:

The ESA, with an aim of reinforcing the links with the European countries non-members, had concluded from the agreements (agreements of European co-operating States) allowing the limited participation of the country contracting, with:

• Hungary (2003)
• (2003)
• Romania

Languages

According to the convention signed by the 17 Member States, the work meetings of the Agency proceed in French, English and German. All the official documents of the Agency are also translated in these three languages. The other documents however are published only in French and English.

Direction

Presidents of the Council of the Agency

• Hubert Curien: June 1981 - July 1984

Successive managing directors

• Jean-Marie Luton (1990 - 1997)

• Antonio Rodotà (1997 - 2003)
• Jean-Jacques Dordain (since 2003).

Ministerial council of the December 6th and 7th 2005

The Ministerial council with Berlin, chaired by the Dutch Minister for the Economy, Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, joined together

• the 17 Member States
• the 5 candidates
• the Canada
• as well as representatives of the European Union, Eumetsat and European Space Science Committee.

The entire amount of 8.225 M€ of contributions was then act (95% of the total requested - to compare with the 78% of the 10 Md€ obtained at the time of the preceding council from Edinburgh in 2001).

The delegations adopted 6 resolutions:

• the plan “Discovered in the long run and competitiveness” ( Discovery & Competitiveness ),
• the level of the resources,
• exploitation of the International space station (ISS),
• the sector of the launchers,
• financing of the Guianese Space center,
• evolution of the ESA.

Optional programs

New activities

Bodies

• Siège with Paris

• European Astronaut Centers (EAC) (Center of the European astronauts) with Cologne, in Germany
• European Space Astronomy Center (ESAC) (European Center of astronomy) in Villafranca del Castillo, in Spain
• European Space Operations Centers (ESOC) (European Center of the space operations) with Darmstadt, in Germany
• ESA Center for Earth observation (ESRIN) (European Institute of space research) with Frascati, in Italy
• European Space research and Technology Centers (ESTEC) (European technology and space research Center) with Noordwijk, with the Netherlands

Projects

One of the projects of the ESA in this moment (2004) is the project Quichotte from which the goal is to protect the Earth against the collision risk by all geocroisor by deviating this one in a tiny way, but sufficiently early:

• Project '' Quichotte '' (see also Public service)
• Project Galileo, the system of European positioning. It will be civil and not soldier contrary with his American counterpart. It will be also much more precise (1m near)
• Projet Phoenix

• Project Darwin

European body of the astronauts

The European Body of the Astronaute S of the ESA gathers the astronauts of the ESA with Cologne in Germany.

Former members

Members in activity

Actions towards the young people

The ESA always had a policy of information of youth by many teaching means implemented through various exposures.

It signed, in 1986, a partnership convention with the Association PARSEC which disseminates the scientific information on the Riviera. It was renewed on June 23rd, 2001, by Jean-Jacques Dordain, managing director of the Agency.

Notes and references of the article

See too

Related articles

External bonds and documents

• Official site of the ESA

Random links:

François Louis Phelippes-Tronjolly | Dimitri Amilakvari | Mauvezin-on-Gupie | Group Barta | Jean of Piglets of Maillane