National and International Aerospace Programs

Europe

Although some countries in Europe have a highly developed scientific and technological sector for their historic political and economic rivalries none of them could have developed an aerospace sector that would play a significant role on the global scale. Creation of community of European countries has inevitably followed by the unification of the aerospace sector, profiled in Airbus and the European Space Agency (ESA), to be important factor globally.

ESA (European Space Agency)

http://www.esa.int/ESA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Space_Agency

Membership
After the decision of the ESA Council of 21/22 March 2001, the procedure for accession of the European states was detailed as described the document titled “The Plan for European Co-operating States (PECS)”. Nations that want to become a full member of ESA do so in 3 stages. First a Cooperation Agreement is signed between the country and ESA. In this stage, the country has very limited financial responsibilities. If a country wants to co-operate more fully with ESA, it signs a European Cooperating State (ECS) Agreement. The ECS Agreement makes companies based in the country eligible for participation in ESA procurements. The country can also participate in all ESA programmes, except for the Basic Technology Research Programme. While the financial contribution of the country concerned increases, it is still much lower than that of a full member state. The agreement is normally followed by a Plan For European Cooperating State (or PECS Charter). This is a 5-year programme of basic research and development activities aimed at improving the nation’s space industry capacity. At the end of the 5-year period, the country can either begin negotiations to become a full member state or an associated state or sign a new PECS Charter. Many countries, most of which joined the EU in both 2004 and 2007, have started to co-operate with ESA on various levels.

Headquarters
ESA has its headquarters in Paris. The Director General and cabinet have their offices here, as do some of the ESA Programme Directors. The decisions that shape ESA’s present and future activities are made here.

ESTEC
The European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, is the largest ESA establishment, a test centre and hub for European space activities, responsible for the technical preparation and management of ESA space projects and providing technical support to ESA’s satellite, space exploration and human spaceflight activities.

ESOC
The European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, ensures the smooth working of spacecraft in orbit. Its control rooms, linked to ground stations all over the world, track and control satellites, and carry out payload operations and routine systems monitoring.

ESRIN
ESA’s centre for Earth observation in Frascati, near Rome, manages the ground segment for ESA and third-party Earth observation satellites, maintaining the largest archive of environmental data in Europe and coordinating over 20 ground stations and ground segment facilities in Europe. It also hosts the project team managing the Vega small-launcher program.

EAC
The European Astronaut Centre located in Cologne, Germany, is a training facility and home base for all European astronauts. It is a centre of excellence for astronaut training and medical support.

ESAC
The European Space Astronomy Centre, at Villanueva de la Cañada, near Madrid in Spain, hosts the scientific operations centres for ESA’s astronomy and planetary missions, along with their scientific archives. It provides services to astronomical research projects worldwide.

Guiana Space Centre (CSG)
Kourou, in French Guiana, is Europe’s gateway to space. Covering over 96 000 hectares, CSG is ideally sited for launching satellites, in particular because it is close to the equator. ESA is the owner of the launch and launcher production facilities and finances a significant part of the fixed costs of the launch base.

Redu Centre
ESA’s Redu Centre in Belgium is responsible for controlling and testing a range of satellites as part of ESA’s ground station network. It is also home to the Space Weather Data Centre (as part of the ESA’s Space Situational Awareness Preparatory Programme).

ECSAT
The European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications, in Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK, is supporting activities related to telecommunications, integrated applications, climate change, technology and science.

National space organisations of EU member states

The Centre National d’Études Spatiales(CNES) (National Centre for Space Study) is the French government space agency (administratively, a “public establishment of industrial and commercial character”). Its headquarters are in central Paris. CNES is the main participant on the Ariane project. Indeed, CNES designed and tested all Ariane family rockets (mainly from its centre in Évry near Paris)
The UK Space Agency is a partnership of the UK government departments which are active in space. Through the UK Space Agency, the partners provide delegates to represent the UK on the various ESA governing bodies. Each partner funds its own programme.
The Italian Space Agency(Agenzia Spaziale Italiana or ASI) was founded in 1988 to promote, co-ordinate and conduct space activities in Italy. Operating under the Ministry of the Universities and of Scientific and Technological Research, the agency cooperates with numerous entities active in space technology and with the president of the Council of Ministers. Internationally, the ASI provides Italy’s delegation to the Council of the European Space Agency and to its subordinate bodies.
The German Aerospace Center(DLR) (German: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.) is the national research centre for aviation and space flight of the Federal Republic of Germany and of other member states in the Helmholtz Association. Its extensive research and development projects are included in national and international cooperative programmes. In addition to its research projects, the centre is the assigned space agency of Germany bestowing headquarters of German space flight activities and its associates.
The Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial(INTA) (National Institute for Aerospace Technique) is a Public Research Organization specialised in aerospace research and technology development in Spain. Among other functions, it serves as a platform for space research and acts as a significant testing facility for the aeronautic and space sector in the country.

Adriatic-Mediterranean countries

Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Israel, Turkey
Associated Mediterranean countries
Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Hungary

Croatia

Adriatic Aerospace Association (A3)
http://a3space.org/

Ministry for Science and Education is working on accession to ESA membership but it is slow due to administrative impediments.

Slovenia

There is no space program or space agency
Link to ESA through the Ministry of Economy and Technology

Private Initiative – Centre of Excellence Space
https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-si—slovenian-centre-of-excellence-for-space-sciences-and-technologies

Austria

ALR < FFG
https://www.ffg.at/en/content/aeronautics-and-space-agency
Coordinates the space program and contact with ESA.
FFG is led by the Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology and the Ministry of Science, Research and Economy
https://www.ffg.at/en

Hungary

HSO < Ministry of National Development
http://www.hso.hu/page.php?page=215
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Space_Office
Coordinates the space program and the connection to ESA

Serbia

SERBSPACE
http://www.serbspace.rs/
There is no formal body to formulate a space program

Romania

ROSA < Ministry of Education
http://www.rosa.ro/index.php/en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_Space_Agency
Coordinates the space program and the connection to the ESA

Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Romania is involved in the activities of United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space – COPUOS

Bulgaria

SRTI-BAS < Bulgarian Academy of Science
http://www.space.bas.bg/Eng/Eng.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Research_and_Technology_Institute

The Ministry of Economy is a formal link to ESA

Greece

GSA—SA < Ministry of Communications and Digitalization
http://gsa-hsa.com

The Ministry of Development is a formal link to ESA

Albania

CIMA
http://www.cimafoundation.org/en/cima-foundation/albania/

There is no scientific and technological program for Space
Cooperation with ASI on fire and flood monitoring

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Unknown aerospace sector

Monte Negro

Unknown aerospace sector

Israel

ISA < Ministry of Science and Technology
http://www.space.gov.il/en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Space_Agency
Connection to ESA

Czech Republic

CSO – Academic research and popularization
http://www.czechspace.cz/en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Space_Office
The link to ESA is from the Ministry of Transport

Industrial association
CSA < Ministry of Economy and Trade
http://www.czechspace.eu

Switzerland

SSO < Ministry of Education and Research
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Space_Office
Connection to ESA

Swiss Space Centre – Academy, research, industry
http://space.epfl.ch

Turkey

No known space program. Turkish Space Agency is in forming
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System_(Turkey) (outdated information)

Other agencies

USA

NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA

Private companies
Virgin Galactic
Scaled
Space Adventures
Sierra Nevada Corporation

Russia

ROSCOSMOS
http://en.roscosmos.ru/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscosmos_State_Corporation

Launcher manufacturers
TsSKB Progress: Soyuz-FG, Soyuz-U, Soyuz-2
Khrunichev: Proton, Proton-M, Angara (in development), Briz-M
Production Corporation Polyot

Engines
NPO Energomash
Production Corporation Polyot
KBKhA
KBKhM
Kuznetsov Design Bureau
Keldysh Research Center
OKB Fakel
NIIMash
TsNIIMash
Proton-PM
Voronezh Mechanical Plant
RKK Energiya

Satellite developers
ISS-Reshetnev: GLONASS, Express
NPO Lavochkin: Elektro–L
Gazprom Space Systems
SPUTNIX Ltd
DAURIA Aerospace

Satellite Launchers Services
Eurockot Launch Services
International Launch Services
COSMOS International
ISC Kosmotras
Starsem
Sea Launch
Land Launch

China

CNSA < Ministry of industry and information technology
http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6443408/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_National_Space_Administration

India

ISRO < Ministry for Space < Prime Ministar
http://isro.gov.in
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Space_Research_Organisation

Space research and development
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
ISRO Propulsion Complex
ISRO Satellite Centre
Space Applications Centre
National Remote Sensing Centre
ISRO Inertial Systems Unit
Development and Educational Communication Unit
Master Control Facility
ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network
Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing

Antrix Corporation
Physical Research Laboratory
National Atmospheric Research Laboratory
North-Eastern Space Applications Centre
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology

Japan

JAXA < Space Strategy Office < Prime Minister
http://global.jaxa.jp/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JAXA

Research and Development
Earth Observation Research Center
Earth Observation Center
Noshiro Testing Center
Sanriku Balloon Center
Kakuda Space Center
Sagamihara Campus
Tanegashima Space Center
Tsukuba Space Center
Uchinoura Space Center

Brazil

AEB < Prime Ministar
http://www.iafastro.org/societes/brazilian-space-agency-aeb/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Space_Agency

United Nations – Office for Outer Space Affairs

UNOOSA
http://www.unoosa.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Office_for_Outer_Space_Affairs

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is the United Nations office responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. UNOOSA serves as the secretariat for the General Assembly’s only committee dealing exclusively with international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space: the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

UNOOSA is also responsible for implementing the Secretary-General’s responsibilities under international space law and maintaining the United Nations Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space.

Through the United Nations Programme on Space Applications, UNOOSA conducts international workshops, training courses and pilot projects on topics that include remote sensing, satellite navigation, satellite meteorology, tele-education and basic space sciences for the benefit of developing nations. It also maintains a 24-hour hotline as the United Nations focal point for satellite imagery requests during disasters and manages the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER).

UNOOSA is the current secretariat of the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG).

United Nations Office at Vienna
Vienna International Centre,
Wagramerstrasse 5,
A-1220 Vienna
AUSTRIA
Telephone: +43-1-260 60 4950
Fax: +43-1-260 60 5830
Send us a message!