ESA Headquarters

ESA Headquarters in Paris is at the heart of the Agency’s strategy, coordination and decision-making.

Located across two sites in the French capital, ESA HQ Mario Nikis and ESA HQ Daumesnil, Headquarters brings together the Agency’s leadership and key corporate and programme activities.

ESA HQ Mario Nikis is home to ESA’s Director General and key corporate functions. It is also where the ESA Council, the Agency’s governing body, meets. Representing ESA Member States, the Council takes major decisions on the Agency’s policies, programmes and resources and helps shape the future of Europe’s space activities.

Headquarters is also a hub for ESA’s communications and engagement activities, coordinating communication across the Agency and keeping media, decision makers and the public informed about ESA’s missions, programmes and achievements.

A number of ESA-wide corporate activities are coordinated from Paris, including functions supporting the Agency’s people, administration, legal affairs and governance. ESA Headquarters also works closely with the European Centre for Space Law, which promotes knowledge, research and cooperation in space law across Europe.

Nearby, ESA HQ Daumesnil is home to ESA’s Directorate of Space Transportation, which works with European industry and institutional partners to ensure Europe has independent and competitive access to space. Its activities include Europe’s Ariane and Vega launch systems, the development of future space transportation technologies, and activities related to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Together, ESA’s two Paris locations connect Member States, programmes and people across the Agency, supporting the decisions and activities that shape Europe’s ambitions in space.