ESA.int:The Official European Space Agency The website was established by European nations to provide and promote cooperation in space research, space technology and applications among European nations for peaceful purposes, formerly the European Space Research Organization and the European Spacecraft Launch Vehicle Development Organization.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing and promoting cooperation among European nations in space research, space technology and applications for peaceful purposes. The European Space Agency (ESA) is a European intergovernmental space exploration and development organization, headquartered in Paris, France. The European Space Agency includes non-EU countries such as Switzerland and Norway. ESA has a total staff of about 2,200 (2011). The launch center is the Guiana Launch Center in Guiana, France. Due to its proximity to the equator, it is more economical to launch satellites into geosynchronous orbit (less fuel required for the same mass). The control center is located in Darmstadt, Germany.

The European Space Agency currently has 18 member states, which are Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. France is its main contributor. Romania signed the accession agreement in January 2011, becoming the 19th member state. The European Space Agency signed an agreement with the Polish government in September 2012, accepting Poland as the 20th member state of ESA.

ESA works closely with other international organizations in Europe, in particular with the European Union and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), which are increasingly active in space activities, on future meteorological programmes. In addition, it follows the work of many specialized agencies of the United Nations.