European Space Agency

Organization of 16 European countries that engages in space research and technology. It was founded in 1975, with headquarters in Paris, France. The participating countries are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.

ESA astronauts have participated in numerous space activities including missions on the Mir space station and the International Space Station (ISS). The ESA has developed the Ariane rockets (used to launch most ESA satellites), the Spacelab scientific workshop, the Giotto space probe, and various scientific and communications satellites. It also created components for the ISS, including a robotic arm. The ESA's European Remote-Sensing Satellite ERS-2 was launched in 1995 to work in tandem with ERS-1 (launched in 1991 and retired in 2000), improving measurements of global ozone. The ESA's Envisat satellite was launched on 28 February 2002. Its Mars Express, launched in June 2003, has discovered water ice and methane on that planet. Current and planned projects include: the Venus Express (launched November 2005); a probe to Mercury; and space telescopes, including the Herschel Space Observatory.