Key dates 1960-2024
1960
1 December - Intergovernmental conference at Meyrin, Switzerland, setting up a European Preparatory Commission for Space Research (COPERS)
1961
24-25 October - The COPERS Interim Scientific and Technical Working Group prepare a 77-page document outlining the future European Space Research Organisation, the so-called 'Blue Book'
1962
29 March - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia (associate member) sign in London the Convention creating the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO)
14 June - Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom sign in Paris the Convention creating the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO). Approval given for ESLAR, an ESRO laboratory for advanced research to be located in Italy (later renamed ESRIN, European Space Research Institute)
1 November - Dr Albert Walter Lines (UK) nominated as Technical Director to head the European space technology centre. Under his authority, Mr A. Kesselring (CH) is named first Director of ESTEC in 1964
1963
1 January - Under Dr Sidney Shapcott (UK), later Director of Projects at ESTEC, planning of the ESTEC facility begins at the Technical University of Delft, Netherlands
Autumn - European Space Data Analysis Centre (ESDAC) established in Darmstadt, Germany (renamed and repurposed as ESOC in 1967), headed by Stig Comet (SE)
1964
29 February - ELDO Convention comes into force
20 March - ESRO Convention enters into force
29 July - First Director of ESRIN, Hermann L. Jordan (DE) appointed
1965
1 March - Foundation pile laid for ESTEC in Noordwijk. The first major vacuum test facility is installed on 1 September
1966
1 January - ESRIN is formed in Frascati, Italy. Staff are installed in temporary accommodation in the Park Hotel, Frascati. Foundation stone for the new building is laid in September 1968
19 November - First ESRO rocket launch from Esrange, Kiruna, Sweden
1967
8 September - ESOC inaugurated by then Minister of Research of the Federal Republic of Germany, Gerhard Stoltenberg
1968
1 January - Redu tracking station in Belgium becomes operational
3 April - ESTEC inaugurated by TRH Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands
9 April - Launch of first sounding rocket from the French Veronique series, from Guiana Space Centre (‘Europe’s Spaceport’ becomes operational)
17 May - Launch of ESRO-2B intended to study cosmic rays and solar X-rays, the first successful satellite launch by ESRO
5 December - Launch of ESRO HEOS-1, first European satellite to venture beyond near-Earth space
1971
20 December - First Package Deal which permits ESRO to pursue application programmes comes into effect
1973
12 and 31 July - Second Package Deal: The European Space Conference (ESC) meeting in Brussels decides the start of three new programmes: Spacelab, L3S (Ariane) and MAROTS and the creation of the European Space Agency (ESA)
1975
30 May - Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany (Federal Republic), Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom sign the Convention on the establishment of ESA
9 August - Launch of COS-B, first ESA mission to study gamma-ray sources
31 December - Ireland signs the ESA Convention and becomes ESA's 11th Member State
1977
13 May - Establishment of the Eutelsat (European Telecommunications Satellite Organisation), an intergovernmental organisation by PTT administrations in Europe
23 November - Launch of Meteosat-1 on a Thor Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, USA
1978
11 May - Launch of OTS-2 (Orbital Test Satellite-2), ESA's first comsat
1979
1 January - The first five-year Cooperation Agreement between Canada and ESA comes into effect
24 December - Launch of the first Ariane 1, from the Guiana Space Centre (Europe's Spaceport)
1980
26 March - Arianespace, the world's first commercial space transportation company is created
3 July - Decision to upgrade Ariane to Ariane 3 designed to launch two satellites into GTO
1983
28 November - Launch of STS-9, the first Spacelab mission with Ulf Merbold (DE), ESA's first astronaut and first non-US citizen to fly on the US Space Shuttle
1985
30-31 January - ESA Ministerial Council in Rome: ministers approve the start of preparatory work on the Ariane 5 launch vehicle
1986
13-14 March - Successful historic encounter of Giotto with Comet Halley
June - Eumetsat Convention enters into force
1987
1 January - Austria and Norway become ESA's 12th and 13th Member States
9-10 November - ESA Ministerial Council in The Hague: ministers approve the development of Ariane 5
1988
29 September - Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the design, and development of the Space Station Freedom signed by ESA and NASA in Washington DC
15 June - Launch of first Ariane 4
1989
1 June - ESA Council approves the setting-up of a single European Astronauts Corps and as a result ESA initiates a selection campaign for the second group of European astronaut candidates
1990
1 May - European Astronaut Centre (EAC) established in Cologne, Germany
24 April - Launch of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope on STS-31 Space Shuttle mission
6 October - Launch of ESA/NASA Ulysses mission to the Sun on STS-41 Space Shuttle mission
1991
17 July - Launch of ERS-1
1992
15 May - ESA announces second group of astronaut candidates: M. Cheli (IT), J.F. Clervoy (FR), P. Duque (ES), C. Fuglesang (SE), M. Merchez (BE), T. Reiter (DE)
1995
1 January - Finland becomes ESA's 14th Member State
20 April - Launch of ERS-2
18-20 October - ESA Ministerial Council in Toulouse, France: ministers agree on the funding of Europe's contribution to the ISS
20 October - Thomas Reiter is the first ESA astronaut to perform a extravehicular activity (EVA, or spacewalk), from the Mir space station
2 December - Launch of SOHO
1996
4 June - Ariane 5's first test flight (Flight 501) fails and causes the loss of four Cluster spacecraft
1997
15 October - Launch of NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn from Cape Canaveral
1999
11-12 May - ESA Ministerial Council in Brussels approves investments in major new programmes in the areas of telecommunications, navigation including the definition phase for the Galileo programme (in partnership with the European Union), and Earth observation
10 December - Launch of XMM-Newton on an Ariane 5
15 December - Portugal signs Accession to ESA Convention
2000
25 March - ESA Council approves establishment of a single European Astronaut Corps by merging the existing national astronaut programmes with ESA's programme
14 November - Portugal becomes ESA's 15th Member State
15 December - Approval of the development of the small launcher Vega
2001
17 January - Greece signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
21/22 March - ESA Council adopts Resolution on implementation of measures for European Cooperating States (ECS)
23 April - ESA astronaut Umberto Guidoni (IT) is first European to board the International Space Station (launched 19 April)
12 July - Launch of Artemis telecoms satellite by Ariane 5
21 October - ESA astronaut Claudie Haigneré (FR) is first female European astronaut to fly to International Space Station
14/15 November - ESA Ministerial Council meeting in Edinburgh
2002
1 February - Brazil signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
1 March - Launch of Envisat by Ariane 5
11 March - Argentina signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
28 August - Launch of MSG-1 by Ariane 5
11 December - First launch of Ariane 5 ECA (failed)
2003
15 February - Last flight of an Ariane 4 after 116 flights
7 April - Hungary becomes first ESA European Cooperating State
2 June - Launch of Mars Express, Europe's first mission to the 'Red Planet', from Baikonur
27 September - Launch of SMART-1, Europe's first mission to the Moon, on an Ariane 5
25 November - Framework Agreement between ESA and the European Community signed in Brussels
2004
4 February - Approval of the programme to build a complex at the Guiana Space Centre (Europe's Spaceport) for commercial Soyuz launches
2 March - Launch of ESA Rosetta mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Ariane 5
24 November - Czech Republic becomes second ESA European Cooperating State
25 November - First ESA/EU 'Space Council' in Brussels
2005
14 January - Historic landing of Huygens probe on Titan
12 February - First successful launch of Ariane 5 ECA
16 March - Greece becomes ESA's 16th Member State
30 June - Luxembourg becomes ESA’s 17th Member State
9 November - Launch of Venus Express from Baikonur on a Starsem Soyuz-Fregat launcher
5/6 December - ESA Ministerial Council meeting in Berlin
28 December - Launch of first Galileo test satellite (GIOVE-A)
2006
27 February - Romania becomes third ESA European Cooperating State
19 October - Launch of MetOp-A from Baikonur
2007
26 February - Inauguration of Soyuz launch pad at Europe's Spaceport. BepiColombo, the mission to explore planet Mercury, definitively 'adopted' by ESA’s Science Programme Committee
4 May - Poland becomes fourth ESA European Cooperating State
22 May - A consensus of 29 ESA/EU countries adopt a Resolution on European Space Policy
23 October - Launch of ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli (IT) on his Esperia mission, with Node-2 module, to ISS on STS-120
2008
7 February - ESAC inaugurated by TRH Prince and Princess of Asturias
11 February - Columbus installed on ISS
9 March - Launch of first Automated Transfer Vehicle, ATV Jules Verne resupply spacecraft to ISS
27 April - Launch of ESA's second Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element satellite GIOVE-B
28 April - Poland becomes fourth European Cooperating State
9 June - Slovenia signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
12 November - Czech Republic becomes 18th ESA Member State
25/26 November - ESA Ministerial Council in The Hague
2009
20 May - Six new ESA astronauts selected: two Italian, one French, one Dane, one German and one British
29 May - Sixth 'Space Council', Brussels
24 July - Latvia signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
27 August - Cyprus signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
11 October - ESA astronaut Frank De Winne becomes the first European to be appointed commander of an ISS Expedition
10 November - Estonia becomes fifth European Cooperating State
2010
22 January - Slovenia becomes sixth European Cooperating State
12 February - European-built Node-3 and Cupola modules installed on ISS
8 April - Launch of ESA's 'ice mission', CryoSat-2
28 April - Slovak Republic signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
3 June - Mars500, 520-day simulated mission to Mars begins
7 October - Lithuania signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
25 November - Seventh 'Space Council', Brussels
26 November - Launch of Hylas-1, ESA’s first PPP satellite
2011
20 January - Romania signs Accession Agreement to ESA Convention
31 January - Israel signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
16 February - Launch of ESA's second ATV, ATV Johannes Kepler, to ISS
21 October - Soyuz lifts off for first time from Europe's Spaceport carrying two Galileo IOV satellites
21 November - ESA’s Council grants observer status to 10 states that are members of the EU but not ESA: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.
22 December - Romania becomes 19th ESA Member State
2012
13 February - Launch of ESA’s first Vega rocket VV01 from Europe's Spaceport
20 February - Malta signs a Cooperation Agreement with ESA
23 March - Launch of ESA's third ATV, ATV Edoardo Amaldi, to ISS
9 May - End of Envisat mission declared after communication with the satellite was suddenly lost on 8 April
5 July - Launch of MSG-3 on Ariane 5 from Europe's Spacport
19 November - Poland becomes ESA's 20th Member State
20-21 November - Ministerial Council in Naples, ministers approve new launcher Ariane 6 and adapted Ariane 5 ME, and provision of European Service Module for NASA’s new Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle
18 December - New deep-space antenna station inaugurated at Malargüe, Argentina
2013
19 March - Latvia becomes seventh ESA European Cooperating State
20 March - Planck space telescope reveals existence of features that challenge foundations of current understanding of the Universe
29 April - End of Herschel mission, concluding over three years of observations of the cool Universe
14 May - UK Minister David Willetts and ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain inaugurate ESA's first facility in UK, ECSAT, at Harwell
28 May - ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano (IT) launched to ISS for six-month Volare mission
5 June - Launch of ESA's fourth ATV, ATV Albert Einstein, to ISS
25 July - Launch of Alphasat, Europe’s largest telecommunications satellite, by Ariane 5 ECA VA214
23 October - Last command sent to ESA's Planck space telescope
11 November - Reentry of GOCE
22 November - Launch of Swarm, ESA's magnetic field mission
19 December - Launch of billion-star surveyor Gaia
2014
20 January - Rosetta, ESA’s hibernating comet-chaser wakes up for rendezvous with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
19 February - ESA selects planet-hunting Plato mission as ESA’s third medium-class science mission for launch by 2024
28 March - ESA and CERN sign a cooperation agreement to foster future collaborations on research themes of common interest
3 April - Launch of Sentinel-1A, first satellite for Europe’s Copernicus environmental monitoring network
28 May - ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst (IT) launched to ISS on six-month Blue Dot mission
29 July - Launch of ESA's fifth and final ATV mission, ATV Georges Lemaître, to ISS
6 August - Rosetta arrives at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
22 August - Launch of Galileo 5-6 satellites on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport
12 November - Rosetta mission soft-lands its Philae probe on a comet, first time in history that such a feat has been achieved
23 November - ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti (IT) launched to ISS on six-month Futura mission
2 December - ESA Ministerial Council in Luxembourg; Ministers approve the development of Ariane 6 and Vega C, Europe’s space exploration strategy, covering ESA’s three destinations for exploration (LEO low-Earth orbit, Moon and Mars) and the ESA evolution, covering the vision for ESA until 2030
18 December - Prof. Jan Wörner appointed as ESA Director General, succeeding Jean-Jacques Dordain, for a period of four years starting on 1 July 2015
2015
4 February - Estonia becomes 21st ESA Member State
11 February - Launch of IXV experimental spaceplane
24 February - Hungary becomes 22nd ESA Member State
28 March - Launch Galileo 7-8 satellites on a Soyuz rocket from Europe’s Spaceport
9 April - Bulgaria becomes 10th ESA European Cooperating State
23 June - Launch of Sentinel-2A from Europe’s Spaceport
1 September - Estonia becomes 21st ESA Member State
2 September - ESA astronaut Andreas Morgensen (DK) launched to ISS for 10-day Iriss mission
11 September - Launch of Galileo 9-10 satellites from Europe’s Spaceport
5 October - Eumentsat signs a Cooperation Agreement with ESA for development of MetOp Second Generation (MetOp-SG)
4 November - Hungary becomes 22nd ESA Member State
3 December - LISA Pathfinder launched from Europe’s Spaceport
15 December - ESA astronaut Tim Peake (UK) launched to ISS for six-month Principia mission
17 December - Launch of Galileo 11-12 satellites from Europe’s Spaceport
2016
30 January - Launch of EDRS-A, the European Data Relay System’s first laser terminal, from Baikonur
16 February - Launch of Sentinel-3A from Plesetsk
14 March - Launch of ExoMars TGO 2016 from Baikonur
25 April - Launch of Sentinel-1B from Europe's Spaceport
24 May - Launch of Galileo satellites 13-14 from Europe’s Spaceport
5 July - Slovenia becomes an Associate Member State of ESA
8 July - Cyprus becomes 11th ESA European Cooperating State
30 September - End of Rosetta mission, sending its last signal from Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, and touching down on the comet
5 October - With 74 successful launches in a row, Ariane 5 matches the reliability of Ariane 4, with flight VA231
19 October - Experimental Schiaparelli probe made hard-landing on Mars / ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter enters its planned orbit around Mars
17 November - ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet (FR) launched to ISS for six-month Proxima mission
17 November - Launch of Galileo satellites 15-18 on Ariane 5 VA233 from Europe’s Spaceport (first time an Ariane 5 ES is used to launch Galileo satellites)
1-2 December - ESA Ministerial Council in Lucerne, Switzerland. 22 Ministers adopt four resolutions including the 'Towards Space 4.0 for a United Space in Europe'
15 December - European Commission declares provision of the Galileo Initial Services
2017
28 January - Launch of SmallGEO, ESA’s new small telecom platform, from Europe’s Spaceport
2 February - New ESA astronaut selected, Matthias Maurer (DE)
7 March - Launch of Sentinel-2B from Europe’s Spaceport
20 June - Pioneering ICE Cubes agreement signed at Paris Air and Space Show with Space Applications Services (first commercial European opportunity to conduct research in ESA’s Columbus laboratory)
21 June - Joint statement signed at Paris Air and Space Show with 16 satellite industry leaders on collaboration over Satellite for 5G
29 June - 80th consecutive launch for Ariane 5 ECA, flight VA238
28 July - ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli launched to ISS on six-month VITA mission
1 August - Launch of Vega VV10 (carrying Optsat-3000 and Venus satellites) with successful qualification of new payload fairing
14 August - ESA astronauts Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer joined 16 Chinese astronauts for sea survival training in Yantai, China
15 September - First Ariane 62 launch service contract for four Galileo satellites signed between ESA, on behalf of the European Commission, and Arianespace
13 October - Launch of Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor on a Rockot from Plesetsk
7 November - ESA/EU informal space ministerial meeting, jointly organised by Estonian EU Presidency and Spain’s ESA Ministerial Council Chairmanship in Tallinn, Estonia
23-24 November - Space History Conference, Padua University, Italy, inaugurating third phase of the ESA History Project
4 December - Bulgarian President Rumen Radev visits ESA Headquarters, Paris
12 December - Launch of Galileo satellites 19-22 on Ariane 5 ES flight VA240 from Europe’s Spaceport
14 December - Prof. Günther Hasinger (DE) appointed Director of Science, succeeding Alvaro Giménez (ES) as of 1 February 2018
2018
19 February - Croatia signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA
25 April - Launch of Copernicus Sentinel-3B
6 June - ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst launched to ISS on Horizons mission
23 August - Launch of ESA’s Aeolus Earth Explorer satellite
26 September - Ariane 5 VA243 delivers Horizons-3e and Azerspace-2/Intelsat-38 satellites into their planned orbits, marking 100th Ariane 5 flight
20 October - Launch of ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft to Mercury
7 November - Launch of MetOp-C, the third MetOp satellite
12-13 December – 277th meeting of ESA Council at ESOC, Darmstadt
2019
29 March - Galaxia education centre inaugurated as part of ESA’s European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) at Redu, Belgium
10 July - Vega VV15 launch failure, Independent Inquiry Commission set up to investigate
21 July - ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano launched to ISS on Beyond mission
6 August – Launch of EDRS-C, the second European Data Relay System satellite
27-28 November - Space19+ Ministerial Council, Seville, Spain
18 December - Launch of ESA’s Cheops satellite
2020
16 January - Launch of Eutelsat Konnect, the first satellite from the new Spacebus Neo line developed under an ESA Partnership Project, on Ariane 5
10 February - Launch ESA’s Solar Orbiter mission on an Atlas V 411 from Cape Canaveral
31 March - ESA launches various initiatives to develop space-enabled technology and promote services in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic across Europe, including working with the European Commission to create the ‘Rapid Action Coronavirus Earth observation’ dashboard
27 July - Latvia becomes Associate Member of ESA
3 September - Return to flight for Vega, with VV16 launch carrying the first Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) dispenser for light satellites
20 November - 10th EU/ESA Space Council
21 November - Launch of Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg AFB
15 December - ESA signs a contract with prime contractor ArianeGroup for in-flight demonstration of a prototype reusable rocket first stage called Themis
17 December - Dr Josef Aschbacher appointed as Director General of ESA, succeeding Prof. Jan Wörner, for a period of four years from 1 March 2021
2021
31 March - Applications open for a new astronaut group, including for the first time vacancies for reserve astronauts and astronauts with a physical disability.
7 April - Director General Josef Aschbacher presents ESA Agenda 2025, the new priorities and goals for ESA, and sets high ambitions for space in Europe for the coming years.
23 April - ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet launched to ISS on his Alpha mission, the first European to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft
21 May - Lithuania becomes Associate Member of ESA
21 July - Launch of the European Robotic Arm to the ISS from Baikonur after 14 years in development
30 July - Launch of Eutelsat Quantum on Ariane 5, first of a new generation of reprogrammable satellites developed under an ESA Partnership Project
23 October - Ariane 5 flight VA255 sets new record, for Ariane 5’s heaviest payload to geostationary transfer orbit so far (combined payload mass of about 10 263 kg)
10 November - ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer launched to the ISS for his Cosmic Kiss mission
5 December - Launch of Galileo satellites 27-28 adds to an existing 26-satellite constellation
25 December – Launch of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope on an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport
2022
27 April – ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti launched to ISS on her Minerva mission
14 June - Slovakia becomes Associate Member of ESA
16 June - Construction begins at New Norcia in Australia on ESA’s fourth 35 m deep-space antenna
4 July - ECSECO, the European Centre for Space Economy and Commerce, officially opened in Vienna
21 July - ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti makes her first spacewalk from ISS, the first conducted by a European woman
28 September – ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti becomes the fifth European commander of the ISS and the first European woman to be appointed in the role
10 November - ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft conducts tests with and relays data from NASA’s Perseverance rover. The 19-year-old spacecraft has now relayed data for seven different Mars surface missions – a unique new record
16 November – Launch of Artemis I to the Moon from the Kennedy Space Center, with ESA’s European Service Module as part of NASA’s Orion spacecraft
22-23 November - ESA Ministerial Council in Paris
23 November – New ESA astronaut class of 2022 announced, including five career astronauts, 11 members of an astronaut reserve and one astronaut with a disability
2023
25 January - ESA’s digital historical archives open online
14 February - Mexico signs a Cooperation Agreement with ESA
23 March - High Level Advisory Group presents independent report on state of European space exploration to the 315th session of ESA Council
14 April - Launch of ESA's Juice mission to Jupiter’s icy moons
1 July - Launch of ESA’s Euclid mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
6 July - Launch of final Ariane 5 flight, VA261, from Europe’s Spaceport
28 July - ESA’s wind mission Aeolus reenters Earth’s atmosphere and burns up in an assisted reentry, the first manoeuvre of its kind
16 August - Croatia signs European Cooperating State agreement
26 August - ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen launched to ISS on his Huginn mission
6 November - Space Summit 2023, Seville, Spain. ESA and European Commission sign agreement to accelerate use of Earth-observing satellites to address the challenge of climate change
2024
18 January - Launch of ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt (SE) to the ISS on his Muninn mission, the first of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity
21 February - ESA's non-operational ERS-2 Earth observation satellite make safe uncontrolled reentry over Pacific Ocean after 29 years in orbit
