Europe: 30 years in Space
In
1975 the European Space Agency (ESA) was inaugurated. ESA started
small, with only a few countries, but within its three decades of
existence it has succeeded in federating 17 European countries,
including such heavyweights as France, Germany, Italy, and the United
Kingdom. Even though ESA resembles roughly one-fifth of NASA in terms
of annual budget (approximately €3 billion versus the $16.2 billion of
NASA), the European agency has managed to consequently grow in
importance to make a strong number two in the ranking of international
space agencies, even though it focuses only on pure civilian space
programs. Well, almost - even ESA cannot ignore the fact that today's
world has become a bit more unpredictable, making it necessary to rely
on one's own resources to proactively maintain safety and security for
one's citizens. As such, ESA - in cooperation with the European
Commission - has set up two programs to maintain and improve its
technological-strategic portfolio within the space domain: Galileo and
GMES.
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