European Space Agency

src: www.spacetelescope.org

European Space Agency ( ESA ; France: Agence spatiale europÃƒÆ' Ã‚ Â© enne , ASE ; German: EuropÃƒÆ'Ã‚Â¤ische Weltraumorganisation

The ESA space space program includes human space (primarily through participation in the International Space Station program); launch and operation of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon; Earth observations, science and telecommunications; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major space port, the Guyana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch of the Ariane 5 European main vehicle is operated through Arianespace with the distribution of ESA in the cost of launching and further development of this launch vehicle.

Institution facilities are distributed among the following centers:

The ESA science mission is based in ESTEC in Noordwijk, The Netherlands;
Earth Observation Mission at ESA Center for Earth Observation in Frascati, Italy;
ESA Mission Control (ESOC) is in Darmstadt, Germany;
The European Astronaut Center (EAC) that trains astronauts for future missions is located in Cologne, Germany;
a research institute created in 2009, the European Center for Space and Telecommunications Applications (ECSAT), resides in Harwell, England;
and the European Space Center for Astronomy (ESAC) is located in Villanueva de la CaÃƒÆ'Ã‚ Â± there, Madrid, Spain.

Video European Space Agency

History

Foundations

After World War II, many European scientists left Western Europe to work with the United States. Although the 1950s boom made it possible for Western European countries to invest in research and especially in space-related activities, Western European scientists realized that national projects alone would not be able to compete with the two major superpowers. In 1958, just a few months after Sputnik's surprise, Edoardo Amaldi (Italy) and Pierre Auger (France), two prominent members of the Western European scientific community, met to discuss the foundations of a common Western European space agency. The meeting was attended by scientific representatives from eight countries, including Harrie Massey (UK).

Western European countries decided to have two institutions: one with an interest in the development of a launch system, the ELDO (European Launch Development Organization), and another forerunner of the European Space Agency ESRO (European Space Research Organization). The latter was founded on March 20, 1964 by an agreement signed on June 14, 1962. From 1968 to 1972, ESRO launched seven research satellites.

ESA in its current form was established with the ESA Convention in 1975, when ESRO was merged with ELDO. ESA has ten founding member countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. It signed the ESA Convention in 1975 and submitted its instruments of ratification in 1980, when the Convention came into force. During this interval, the agent functions de facto. ESA launched its first major scientific mission in 1975, Cos-B, a vehicle that monitors the emission of gamma rays in the universe, first employed by ESRO.

Next activity

ESA collaborated with NASA at the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE), the world's first high-powered orbit telescope, launched in 1978 and operated successfully for 18 years. A number of Earth orbit projects were successfully followed, and in 1986 ESA started Giotto, the first space mission, to study Halley and Grigg-Skjellerup comets. Hipparcos, a star mapping mission, was launched in 1989 and in the 1990s SOHO, Ulysses and the Hubble Space Telescope were all jointly conducted with NASA. Then the scientific mission in collaboration with NASA included the Cassini-Huygens space probe, which ESA contributed by building the Titan Huygens landing module.

As the successor to ELDO, ESA has also built rockets for scientific and commercial loads. Ariane 1, launched in 1979, carried most commercial payloads into orbit from 1984 onwards. The next two versions of the Ariane rocket are a transitional stage in the development of a more advanced launch system, the Ariane 4, operating between 1988 and 2003 and establishing the ESA as the world leader in commercial space launches in the 1990s. Despite the successful Ariane 5 failing on its first flight, it has since established itself in the highly competitive commercial launch marketplace with 82 successful launches until 2018. The Ariane 5 substitute launch vehicle Ariane 6 is in development and is expected to enter service in the 2020s.

The beginning of the new millennium saw ESA become, along with agencies such as NASA, JAXA, ISRO, CSA and Roscosmos, one of the major participants in scientific space research. Although ESA relied on cooperation with NASA in previous decades, especially in the 1990s, changing circumstances (such as strict legal restrictions on information sharing by the US military) led to the decision to rely more on themselves and cooperate with Russia.. The press issue of 2011 states thus:

Russia is ESA's first partner in an effort to ensure long-term access to space. There is a framework agreement between ESA and the government of the Russian Federation on cooperation and partnership in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, and cooperation has taken place in two different areas of launch activity that will bring benefits to both partners.

Important results are ESA including SMART-1, advanced probe testing of new space propulsion technology, Mars Express and Venus Express missions, as well as the development of Ariane 5 rockets and its role in ISS partnerships. ESA maintains its scientific project and research primarily for astronomical space missions such as the Corot, which was launched on December 27, 2006, a milestone in the search for exoplanets.

Maps European Space Agency

Missions

The agreement that formed the European Space Agency reads:

The purpose of ESA is to provide, and to promote, for peaceful purposes exclusively, cooperation between European countries in space research and their space technology and applications, with a view to being used for scientific purposes and for operational space systems applications

ESA is responsible for establishing integrated spaces and related industrial policies, recommending space goals to member countries, and integrating national programs such as satellite development, into as many European programs as possible.

Jean-Jacques Dordain - Director General of ESA (2003-2015) - outlines the European Space Agency's mission in a 2003 interview:

Today's space activities have been pursuing the benefits of citizens, and citizens are asking for a better quality of life on Earth. They want greater security and economic wealth, but they also want to pursue their dreams, to improve their knowledge, and they want younger people interested in the pursuit of science and technology.
I think that space can do all this: it can produce a higher quality of life, better security, more economic wealth, and also fulfill the dreams of our citizens and the thirst for knowledge, and attract the younger generation. This is the reason space exploration is an integral part of the overall space activity. It always is, and that will be more important in the future.

src: www.europeword.com

Activities and programs

ESA describes its work in two overlapping ways:

For the general public, various fields of work are described as Activity .
Budget is set as Program (English spelling is retained as it is an official document term). This is Mandatory or Optional.

Activity

According to the ESA website, the activities are:

Observing the Earth
Human Spaceflight
Launcher
Navigation
Space Science
Aerospace Engineering & amp; Technology
Operation
Telecommunication & amp; Integrated Application
Preparing for the Future
Climate Space

Program

Horizon 2000
Cosmic Vision
Living Planet Program

Copernicus Program [3]
ExoMars [4]
Galileo [5]

Required

Each Member State shall contribute to these programs, registered in accordance with:

Technology Research Program
Core Science Technology Program
General Studies Program
The European Components Initiative

Depending on the choice of each country may contribute to the following programs, listed in accordance with:

Launcher
Earth Observation
Space and Human Exploration
Telecommunications
Navigation
Awareness of the Space Situation
Technology

List of European Space Agency programs and missions - Wikipedia

src: upload.wikimedia.org

Member status, funding and budget

Membership and contribution to ESA

By 2015, ESA is an intergovernmental organization of 22 member countries. Member countries participate in various mandatory levels (25% of total expenditure in 2008) and optional space programs (75% of total expenditure in 2008). The 2008 budget amounted to EUR3.0 billion in 2009 to EUR3.6 billion. The total budget amounts to EUR3.7 billion in 2010, EUR3.99 billion in 2011, EUR4.02 billion in 2012, EUR4.28 billion in 2013, EUR4.10 billion in 2014, and EUR4.33 billion in 2015. Common languages used are English and French. In addition, official documents are also provided in German and documents on Spacelab are also provided in Italian. If found appropriately, the agency may correspond to any language of the member country.

The following table lists all additional member states and members, the date of ratification of their ESA conventions, and their contribution in 2016:

Non-member status

Slovenia

Currently the only member country involved is Slovenia. Previous associate members were Austria, Norway and Finland, all of whom later joined ESA as full members.

Canada

Since January 1, 1979, Canada has had a special status of the State of Cooperation in the ESA. Under this agreement, the Canadian Space Agency takes part in ESA's deliberative bodies and decision-making as well as in ESA programs and activities. Canadian companies may bid and accept contracts to work on the program. The agreement has provisions that ensure a fair industry return to Canada. The latest Cooperation Agreement was signed on 2010-12-15 with an extension period of up to 2020. For 2014, Canada's annual contribution assessed against ESA's general budget is EUR6,059,449 (CAD $ 8,559,050). For 2017, Canada has increased its annual contribution to EUR21,600,000 (CAD $ 30,000,000).

Budget allocation and allocation

ESA is funded from annual contributions by national governments as well as from annual contributions by the European Union (EU).

The ESA budget is EUR5,250 billion by 2016. Every 3-4 years, ESA member countries agree on a budget plan for several years at the ESA member state conference. This plan can be changed in the coming years, but provides key guidelines for ESA for several years. The 2016 budget allocation for key areas of ESA activity is shown in the chart on the right.

Countries usually have their own separate space programs in the way they operate organically and financially with ESA. For example, the French space agency CNES has a total budget of EUR2015 million, of which EUR755 million is paid as a direct financial contribution to ESA. Some projects related to space are joint projects between the national space agency and ESA (eg COROT). Also, ESA is not the only European space organization (eg the EU Satellite Center).

Magnification

Following the decision of the ESA Council 21/22 March 2001, procedures for accession to European countries are detailed as described in the document entitled "Plans for European Cooperation Countries (PECS)". Countries wishing to become full members of ESA do so in 3 stages. The First Cooperation Agreement is signed between the state and the ESA. At this stage, the state has very limited financial responsibility. If a country wishes to cooperate more fully with ESA, it signs the European Cooperation Agreement (ECS). The ECS Agreement makes companies based in countries eligible to participate in ESA procurement. The country may also participate in all ESA programs, except for the Basic Technology Research Program. While the financial contributions of the country concerned increased, it was still much lower than the full member states. This Agreement is usually followed by the Plan for the European Cooperating Countries (or the PECS Charter). This is a 5 year program of basic research and development activities aimed at enhancing the capacity of the country's space industry. At the end of a 5 year period, the state may begin negotiations to become a full member country or a related country or sign a new Charter Charter. Many countries, most of whom joined the EU in 2004 and 2007, have begun working with ESA at various levels:

During the Ministerial Meeting in December 2014, ESA ministers approved a resolution calling for discussions to begin with Israel, Australia and South Africa on future association agreements. The ministers noted that "concrete cooperation is at an advanced stage" with these countries and that "the prospect of mutual benefit already exists".

A separate space exploration strategy resolution calling for further cooperation with the United States, Russia and China on "LEO exploration, including the continued cooperation of ISS and the development of a robust plan for coordinated use of space transportation vehicles and systems for exploration purposes, participation in robotics missions for Moon exploration, Mars robot exploration, leading to the extensive Mars Sample Return mission in which Europe should be involved as a full partner, and human mission beyond the LEO in the long run. "

EU and European Space Agency

The European Union (EU) political perspective is to make ESA the EU body by 2014, even though this date is not met. EU is the largest single donor to ESA's budget and non-ESA countries The EU is an observer at ESA.

Meet ESA, the space agency for Europe - YouTube

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Launch a fleet of vehicles

ESA has a fleet of different launch vehicles in competing services in all sectors of the launch market. The ESA fleet consists of three main rocket designs: Ariane 5, Soyuz-2 and Vega. The rocket launch was conducted by Arianespace, which has 23 shareholders representing the industry producing Ariane 5 as well as CNES, at ESA's Guiana Space Center. Because many communications satellites have an equatorial orbit, the launch of French Guiana is capable of carrying larger payloads into space than from spaceports at higher latitudes. In addition, the equatorial launch gives the spacecraft an additional 'drive' of nearly 500 m/s because of the higher Earth's rotational velocity at the equator compared to near the Earth's poles where the rotational speed is close to zero.

Ariane 5

The Ariane 5 rocket is the main ESA launcher. It has been operating since 1997 and replaces Ariane 4. Two different variants are currently in use. The heaviest and most used version, Ariane 5 ECA , gives two communications satellites up to 10 tons into the GTO. Failed during the first test flight in 2002, but has since made 82 successful flights successively until partial failure in January 2018. Another version, Ariane 5 ES , is used to launch Automatic Transfer Vehicles (ATVs) to the International Space Station (ISS) and will be used to launch four Galileo navigation satellites at a time.

In November 2012, ESA agreed to build an upgraded variant named Ariane 5 ME (Evolution of Mid-Life) that will increase the payload capacity of up to 11.5 tonnes to GTO and feature a second phase that can be restarted for enabling more complex missions. Ariane 5 ME is scheduled to fly in 2018, but the entire project was canceled for Ariane 6, which is planned to replace Ariane 5 in the 2020s.

ESA's Ariane 1, 2, 3 and 4 launchers (the last being ESA's old hard worker) have retired.

Soyuz

Soyuz-2 (also called Soyuz-ST or Soyuz-STK) is a medium-sized Russian loadouter (about 3 metric tons for GTO) brought to ESA service in October 2011. ESA entered a joint venture worth EUR340 million with the Russian Federal Space Agency for use Soyuz launcher. Under the agreement, Russian agents produced Soyuz rocket components for ESA, which were then shipped to French Guiana for assembly.

Benefits of ESA for acquiring medium load launcher, equipping its fleet while saving development costs. In addition, the Soyuz rocket - which has been a spacecraft launching Russia for about 40 years - proved a technology with excellent safety records. Russia benefits from getting access to the Kourou launch site. Due to its proximity to the equator, the launch of Kourou rather than Baikonur almost doubled Soyuz's load to GTO (3.0 ton vs. 1.7 tonnes).

Soyuz was first launched from Kourou on October 21, 2011, and successfully put two Galileo satellites into orbit 23,222 kilometers above Earth.

Vega

Vega is the carrier of ESA for small satellites. Developed by seven ESA members led by Italy, it is capable of carrying a load with a mass of between 300 and 1500 kg to a height of 700 km, for a low polar orbit. The inaugural launch of Kourou on February 13, 2012.

The rocket has three powerful propulsion stages and an upper stage liquid propulsion (AVUM) for accurate orbital insertion and the ability to place multiple charges into different orbits.

Ariane launches vehicle development funding

Historically, Ariane family rockets have been funded primarily "with money donated by ESA governments wishing to participate in the program rather than through competitive industrial offerings. [This means that the government is financing multiyear development with the expectation that approximately 90% of the return on investment is in the form of share industrial work. "ESA proposed changes to this scheme by switching to competitive bidding for the development of Ariane 6.

European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst looks at the Earth ...

src: c8.alamy.com

Human space flight

History

By the time the ESA is formed, its primary purpose does not include the flight of human space; but rather considers himself a scientific research organization for unmanned space exploration, in contrast to his American and Soviet counterparts. It is therefore not surprising that the first non-Soviet Europeans in space were not ESA astronauts on the European spacecraft; was Czechoslovakia VladimÆ'r Remek who in 1978 became the first non-Soviet or American in space (the first man in space to become Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union) - on the Soyuz Soviet spacecraft, followed by the Pole of Miros? aw Hermaszewski and East Germany Sigmund JÃƒÆ'Ã‚Â¤hn in the same year. This program of Soviet cooperation, known as Intercosmos, mainly involves the participation of the Eastern bloc countries. In 1982, however, Jean-Loup ChrÃƒÆ' Ã‚ Â© tien became the first non-Communist Blind astronaut in flight to the Soviet Salyut 7 space station.

Since ChrÃƒÆ' Ã‚ Â© tien did not officially fly into space as an ESA astronaut, but as a member of the French CNES astronomy corps, German Ulf Merbold was considered the first ESA astronaut to fly into space. He participated in the STS-9 Space Shuttle mission which included the first use of Spacelab built in Europe in 1983. STS-9 marks the start of a joint ESA/NASA partnership that includes dozens of ESA astronaut space flights this year. Some of these missions with Spacelab are fully funded and organically and scientifically controlled by ESA (such as two missions by Germany and one by Japan) with European astronauts as full crew members rather than guests on board. In addition to paying for Spacelab flights and seats on the plane, ESA continued the cooperation of human space flight with the Soviet Union and then Russia, including a number of visits to Mir.

During the second half of the 1980s, Europe's human space flight changed from exception to routine and therefore, in 1990, the European Astronaut Center in Cologne, Germany was founded. It elects and trains prospective astronauts and is responsible for coordinating with international partners, in particular with regard to the International Space Station. In 2006, the ESA's astronomical corps officially included twelve members, including citizens from most European countries except Britain.

In the summer of 2008, ESA began recruiting new astronauts so the final selection will mature in the spring of 2009. Nearly 10,000 people are registered as astronaut candidates before registration ends in June 2008. 8,413 meets the criteria of the initial application. Of the applicants, 918 were selected to take part in the first phase of psychological testing, which narrowed the field to 192. After two-stage psychological tests and medical evaluations in early 2009, as well as formal interviews, six new members of the European Astronaut Corps were selected - five men and one woman.

Name of astronaut

Astronauts from the European Space Agency are:

Crew vehicles

In the 1980s, France pressed for an independent European crew launch vehicle. Around 1978 it was decided to pursue a reusable spacecraft model and began in November 1987 a project to create a mini-shuttle under the name Hermes was introduced. The craft is comparable to the initial proposal for the Space Shuttle and consists of a reusable small spacecraft that will carry 3 to 5 astronauts and 3 to 4 load metrics for scientific experiments. With a maximum total weight of 21 metric tons it will be launched on the Ariane 5 rocket, which is being developed at that time. It was planned solely for use in low-altitude orbiting Earth's space flight. The planning and pre-development phase ended in 1991; the production phase was never fully implemented because at that time the political landscape had changed significantly. With the fall of the Soviet Union ESA expects cooperation with Russia to build next-generation space vehicles. Thus the Hermes program was canceled in 1995 after about 3 billion dollars was spent. Columbus's space station program has the same fate.

In the 21st century, ESA embarked on a new program to create its own vehicle crew, the most prominent among the various projects and proposals was Hopper, whose prototype by EADS, called Phoenix, has been tested. While projects like Hopper are not concrete or will not materialize in the next decade, another possibility for human space in cooperation with the Russian Space Agency has emerged. After talks with the Russian Space Agency in 2004 and June 2005, the cooperation between ESA and the Russian Space Agency was announced to jointly work on Russian-designed Kliper, a reusable spacecraft that would be available for LEO space travel (eg months or even Mars). It was speculated that Europe would finance some of it. A EUR50 million participation study for Kliper, expected to be approved in December 2005, was ultimately not approved by ESA member states. The Russian state tender for the project was later canceled in 2006.

In June 2006, ESA member states gave 15 million to the study of Space Transport System (CSTS), a two-year study to design spacecraft capable of surpassing Low Earth orbits based on the current Soyuz design. The project was pursued with Roskosmos instead of a canceled Kliper proposal. The decision on the actual implementation and construction of the CSTS spacecraft is contemplated for 2008. In mid 2009 EADS Astrium was awarded a EUR21 million study to design a crew vehicle based on a European ATV that is believed to now be the basis of the Advanced Crew Transportation System Design.

In November 2012, ESA decided to join the NASA Orion program. The ATV will be the base of the propulsion unit for the new NASA manned spacecraft. ESA may also attempt to work with NASA on the Orion launch system as well to secure seats on the spacecraft for its own astronauts.

In September 2014, ESA entered into an agreement with Sierra Nevada Corporation for cooperation in the Dream Chaser project. More research on Dream Chaser for European Use or DC4EU projects is funded, including the feasibility of launching the European Dream Chaser aboard the Ariane 5.

European Space Agency helping Nasa search for life on Mars

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Cooperation with other countries and organizations

ESA has signed a cooperation agreement with the following countries that currently do not intend to integrate closely with ESA institutions as Canada, or imagine future ESA membership: Argentina, Brazil, China, India (for Chandrayan mission), Russia and Turkey.

In addition, ESA has joint projects with the EU, NASA USA and participates in the International Space Station along with the United States (NASA), Russia and Japan (JAXA).

European Union

ESA is not a body or body of the European Union (EU), and has non-EU countries (Norway, and Switzerland) as members. But there is a relationship between the two, with various agreements and ongoing, to determine the ESA's legal status with regard to the EU.

There is a common goal between ESA and the EU. ESA has an EU liaison office in Brussels. On certain projects, EU and ESA work together, such as the upcoming Galileo satellite navigation system. The space policy since December 2009 became an area for voting in the Council of Europe. Under the 2007 European Space Policy, the EU and its Member States are committed to improving the coordination of their activities and programs and to regulate their respective roles in space.

The Lisbon Agreement of 2009 strengthens the case for space in Europe and strengthens the role of ESA as an R & D. Article 189 of the Treaty gives the EU the mandate to declare European spatial policy and take related measures, and stipulates that the EU should establish relationships consistent with the ESA.

Former Italian astronaut Umberto Guidoni, during his tenure as Member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009, stressed the importance of the EU as a driving force for space exploration, "as other players will come as India and China it is becoming increasingly important that Europeans can have independent access to space.We should invest more in space research and technology in order to have an industry that can compete with other international players. "

The first EU-ESA International Conference on Human Space Exploration took place in Prague on 22 and 23 October 2009. A roadmap that will lead to a shared vision and strategic planning in the field of space exploration has been discussed. Ministers from all 29 EU and ESA members and parliamentarians attended.

Organization of national spaces of member countries

The National Center d 'Spatiales (National Space Studies Center) is a French government space agency (administratively, a "common character of industrial and commercial characters"). Its headquarters are in the center of Paris. CNES is a major participant on the Ariane project. Indeed, CNES designed and tested all of the Ariane family rockets (mainly from its centers in ÃƒÆ'Ã¢ â‚¬ vry near Paris)
The UK Space Agency is a partnership of UK government departments active in outer space. Through the British Space Agency, the partners provide delegates to represent the UK at various ESA governing bodies. Each partner is funding his own program.
The Italian Space Agency ( Agenzia Spaziale Italiana or ASI) was founded in 1988 to promote, coordinate and conduct aerospace activities in Italy. Operating under the Ministry of Scientific and Technological University and Research, the agency collaborates with many entities active in space technology and with the president of the Council of Ministers. Internationally, ASI provides an Italian delegation to the Council of the European Space Agency and its subordinate bodies.
Instituto Nacional de TÃƒÆ'Ã‚ Â© cnica Aeroespacial (INTA) (National Institute of Aerospace Engineering) is a Public Research Organization that specializes 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 aeronautics and aerospace sector in the country.

NASA

ESA has a long history of collaboration with NASA. Since the ESA's astronomical corps was formed, the Space Shuttle has become the main launch vehicle used by ESA astronauts to enter space through a partnership program with NASA. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Spacelab program was an ESA-NASA joint research program that had ESA develop and produce orbital laboratories for Space Shuttle for several flights where ESA participated with astronauts in the experiments.

In a robot science mission and exploration mission, NASA has become ESA's main partner. Cassini-Huygens is a joint NASA-ESA mission, along with Infrared Space Observatory, INTEGRAL, SOHO, and others. Also, the Hubble space telescope is a joint project of NASA and ESA. ESA-NASA's future joint projects include the James Webb Space Telescope and the proposed Laser Interferometer Aerospace Space. NASA has committed to provide support to the MarcoPolo-R mission proposed by ESA to return samples of asteroids to Earth for further analysis. NASA and ESA are also likely to join together for the Mars Example Return Mission.

Cooperation with other space agencies

As China has begun to invest more money into space activity, the Chinese Space Agency has sought an international partnership. ESA is, in addition to the Russian Space Agency, one of its most important partners. Recently two space agencies have teamed up in the development of the Double Star Mission.

ESA entered a large joint venture with Russia in the form of CSTS, preparation of French Guyana space port for the launch of Soyuz-2 rocket and other projects. With India, ESA agreed to ship the instrument into space on board the ISRO Chandrayaan-1 ship in 2008. ESA is also working with Japan, the most famous project currently working with JAXA is BepiColombo's mission to Mercury.

Speaking to reporters at an air show near Moscow in August 2011, ESA chief Jean-Jacques Dordain said ESA and Russian space agency Roskosmos would "make the first flight to Mars together."

International Space Station

With respect to the International Space Station (ISS) ESA is not represented by all member states: 10 of the 21 ESA member countries currently participate in the project: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Austria, Finland and Ireland chose not to participate, due to a lack of interest or concern about the cost of the project. The United Kingdom withdrew from the preliminary agreement due to concerns about the cost of the project. Portugal, Luxembourg, Greece, Czech Republic, Romania and Poland join ESA after the agreement is signed. ESA took part in the construction and operation of the ISS with contributions such as Columbus, a science lab module brought into orbit by the NASA Space Shuttle STS-122 mission and the Cupola observatory module completed in July 2005 by Alenia Spazio for ESA. The current forecast for the ISS approaches a total of EUR100 billion (construction, construction and 10 years of station maintenance) to which ESA has committed to pay EUR8 billion. About 90% of ESA's ISS share costs will be contributed by Germany (41%), France (28%) and Italy (20%). German ESA Astronaut Thomas Reiter is the first long-term member of the ISS crew.

ESA has developed Automatic Transfer Vehicle for ISS supply. Each ATV has a cargo capacity of 7,667 kilograms (16,903 lb). The first ATV, Jules Verne , was launched on March 9, 2008 and on April 3, 2008 was sealed with the ISS. This maneuver, regarded as a major technical achievement, involved using automated systems to allow ATVs to track the ISS, move at 27,000 km/h, and attach themselves to a 2cm accuracy.

In 2013, the spacecraft that connects supply to the ISS are Russian Progress and Soyuz, European ATV, Japan Kounotori (HTV), and US COTS program vehicles Dragon and Cygnus.

The European Life and Physics Research on the International Space Station (ISS) is primarily based on the European Program for Life and Physical Sciences in Space programming that began in 2001.

Language

According to Annex 1, Resolution No. 8 of the ESA Conventions and Rules of Procedure Council , English, French and German may be used at all Body meetings, with interpretations given into these three languages. All official documents are available in English and French with all documents on the ESA Board available in German as well.

Facilities

ESA Headquarters (HQ), Paris, France
European Space Operations Center (ESOC), Darmstadt, Germany
European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC), Noordwijk, Netherlands
European Space Center for Astronomy (ESAC), Madrid, Spain
The European Center for Space and Telecommunications Applications (ECSAT), Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
European Astronaut Center (EAC), Cologne, Germany
ESA Center for Earth Observation (ESRIN), Frascati, Italy
Guiana Space Center (CSG), Kourou, French Guiana
European Space Tracking Network (ESTRACK)
European Data Relay System

Relax! China space lab could hurtle back to Earth later, says ...

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ESA and EU institutions

The EU flag is to be flown in space during the mission (eg flown by ESA Andre Kuipers during the Delta mission)

The Commission is increasingly working together toward a common goal. About 20 percent of ESA-administered funds now come from the EU supranational budget.

However, in recent years the relationship between ESA and European institutions has been reinforced by the increasing role played by space in supporting European social, political and economic policies.

The legal basis for EU/ESA cooperation is provided by the Framework Agreement which came into force in May 2004. Under this agreement, the European Commission and ESA coordinate their actions through the Joint Secretariat, a small team of ESA's European Commission administrators and executives. Member States of the two organizations meet at the ministerial level in the Space Council, which is a joint meeting of the Council of the EU and ESA, prepared by representatives of Member States in the High Level Transport Policy Group (HSPG).

ESA maintains liaison offices in Brussels to facilitate links with European institutions.

Guaranteeing European access to space

In May 2007, 29 European countries expressed their support for the European Space Policy in the Resolution of the Space Council, bringing together the ESA approach with the EU and its member countries.

Prepared jointly by the European Commission and ESA Director-General, the European Space Policy sets out a basic vision and strategy for the space sector and addresses issues such as security and defense, space access and exploration.

Through this resolution, the EU, ESA and their Member States are all committed to improving the coordination of their activities and programs and their respective roles relating to space.

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References

src: static.dnaindia.com

External links

Official website
European strategy for space - Europa
Convention for the establishment of the European Space Agency, September 2005
Convention for the Establishment of the European Space Agency, Annex I: Privileges and Immunities
The European Space Agency likes and projects 'European Oral History in Space' run by the European Space Agency in the EU History Archive in Florence
Open access in the European Space Agency

Source of the article : Wikipedia

Jumat, 08 Juni 2018