This year, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European Space Agency. Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, ESA has achieved several important milestones in space exploration, space science and Earth observation.
"Fifty years of the European Space Agency (ESA) have been fifty years of remarkable successes. Over these decades, we have developed and launched an extraordinary number of satellites and rockets," ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher told RFI.
ESA's foundation
The European Space Agency was officially established on 30 May 1975 through the merger of two earlier organisations: the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO), focused on scientific research, and the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO), dedicated to developing rockets.
Its founding was a response to the growing realisation that European nations could achieve far more in space exploration and technology by pooling resources and expertise.
Today, ESA comprises 22 member states and collaborates with international partners, including NASA, to advance space science and innovation.
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Agency achievements
Highlighting some of the agency’s achievements, Aschbacher emphasised that programmes developed over the past two to three decades have significantly impacted both our global economy and our understanding of the planet.
"Climate change is one critical area where our knowledge has deepened. Thanks to Copernicus satellites and space-based observations, we now have a much clearer understanding of how the climate system functions and how severe the changes to our planet truly are.
"It is fair to say that without these satellites—which Europe has been instrumental in building, providing critically important measurements—we would not fully comprehend the extent of climate change today."
He further noted that ESA has been pioneering satellites designed for diverse applications such as agriculture, forestry, maritime navigation, air traffic management, and global positioning.
"With the Galileo navigation system, we have developed the most accurate navigation system in the world. It provides precise positional data every single second, supporting industries such as the automotive sector and mobile telecommunications," he explained.
Aschbacher also highlighted the groundbreaking success of the Rosetta mission, which achieved the historic milestone of landing a probe on a comet and conducting detailed measurements of its environment.
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ESA in 2025
This year marks another pivotal period for ESA due to an ambitious schedule of ten space missions, including Sentinel missions as part of the Copernicus programme, advancements in the Galileo navigation system, and the Earth observation mission Biomass, which will globally measure forest biomass and contribute to climate monitoring and ecological research.
In addition, ESA's Ministerial Council, convened every three years to decide the agency's future priorities and funding, will take place this November. The meeting is expected to shape the next era of ESA’s contributions to science, technology, and space exploration.
