The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organization created in 1975 with the aim of ensuring and developing, for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation between European states in the field of space research and technology and their applications. ESA’s task is to outline the European space program and implement it. The Agency’s projects are designed to find out as much as possible about Earth, the surrounding space environment, the Solar System and the Universe at large, but they also aim at the development of satellite technologies and services and the promotion of European industries. Furthermore, ESA actively collaborates with non-European space organisations. The European Space Agency is the gateway to space for Europe. Its mission is to develop European space capabilities and to ensure that the investments made to conquer space continue to produce benefits and positive effects for all citizens of Europe and the world. Since 1 March 2021, the Austrian Josef Aschbacher is the Director General of ESA.
The 22 ESA Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Hungary. Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania are Associate Members. Canada participates in some projects under a cooperation agreement. Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta also have cooperation agreements with the Agency. In 2022, the Ministerial Council approved a budget of 16.9 billion euros. Italy has pledged about 3 billion euros, equal to 18.2% of the global contribution of the Member States, ranking third after Germany and France for compulsory programmes, and first as contributor to optional programmes, focused on earth observation, space exploration, space transportation. ESA guarantees that the investments made in each Member State, through industrial contracts for space programmes, are proportional to the financial contribution of that State (so-called just return). ESA is headquartered in Paris and has other offices in different European countries, each of which has different responsibilities:
- EAC, the European Astronaut Centre, in Cologne, Germany;
- ESAC, the European Space Center for Astronomy in Villanueva de la Canada, Madrid, Spain;
- ESOC, the European Space Operations Centre, in Darmstadt, Germany;
- ESRIN, ESA’s Center for Earth Observation, in Frascati, near Rome, Italy;
- ESTEC, the European Space Center for Research and Technology, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands;
- ECSAT, the European Space Applications and Telecommunications Centre, in Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK;
- ESEC, the European Space Center for Security and Education, in Redu, Belgium.
Furthermore, ESA has liaison offices in Belgium, the United States of America and Russia; a launch base in French Guiana and ground and tracking stations in various areas of the world. Over the last two decades, ESA has successfully developed programs delegated by the European Commission: Copernicus, the Galileo satellite navigation systems and EGNOS. Copernicus represents a game changer and has rapidly become the largest provider of accessible and free Earth observation data. ESA acts as the European lead for Earth observation through the development and implementation of the “Sentinel Expansion” missions and the next generation “Sentinel” missions, with the aim of ensuring greater continuity of data supply. These missions will monitor various aspects of climate change and support the implementation of key EU policies in tackling climate change, monitoring biodiversity and supporting disaster relief. Galileo is the European civilian satellite navigation and positioning system. The second generation of the system is being developed which, thanks to the use of innovative technologies, will guarantee greater precision, robustness and flexibility of the data, with possible positive effects on the design, among other things, of self-driving cars, autonomous drones and the “Internet of things” (Internet of things – IoT). EGNOS is the world’s most advanced Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) providing unprecedented positional accuracy, particularly useful in aviation, transportation and agriculture. The agreement with the European Commission includes further components, such as the preparation and design of the future space segment of the EU GOVSATCOM (Governmental Satellite Communications) program and the validation of a prototype for the “Quantum Key Distribution satellite”, in support of new EU initiative on secure connectivity based on quantum technology.
Italy and ESA
Italy has the leadership of the Martian exploration program, ExoMars, which will allow Europe to land on Mars and which has restarted after the interruption of collaboration with the Russian Federation, as a result of the aggression against Ukraine. Italy has also signed up for the launch of the Moonlight programme, for the creation of lunar communications and navigation services (LCNS) and related infrastructure. Among Italy’s priorities is also that of space transport, with the program relating to the Vega launcher which supports both improvement activities of the current “Vega C” version and the continuation of the development of “Vega E”. In the Earth Observation sector, Italy plays a leading role, at European and international level, through industrial participation in the Copernicus Program and in the Future EO programme, which prepares for the next missions and develops new European observation technology tools. The Italian Simonetta Cheli directs the ESA Earth Observation Program and the ESA ESRIN center in Frascati. Anthea Comellini, 30, aerospace engineer, and Andrea Patassa, 31, captain of the Air Force, have been selected among the new members of the ESA astronaut corps. They will join those already in service including Samantha Cristoforetti, Luca Parmitano and Roberto Vittori, who have already participated in numerous missions on the International Space Station (ISS).