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Austria's Space History

1950

  • First space research activities conducted in Austria (plasma physics, ionospheric physics)

1968

  • First United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE I) in Vienna

1969

  • First Austrian space measuring instrument on board of the high-altitude research rocket F21 launched in Norway

1970

  • Institute for Space Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences founded

1975

  • Summer School Alpbach takes place for the first time

1981

  • Austria becomes ESA associated member state

1982

  • VEGA 1 and 2 fly-by of Halley's comet with two Austrian-Soviet magnetometer on board
  • Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE II) in Vienna

1983

  • European Space Laboratory Spacelab launched, equipped with Austrian windows and three Austrian experiments on board

1987

  • ESA Council meeting in Vienna
  • Austria becomes full ESA member state

1989

  • PHOBOS 2 in Mars orbit with Austrian magnetometer on board

1991

  • First Austrian astronaut in space - AUSTROMIR-91

1993

  • United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) relocated to Vienna

1999

  • Austrian space activities evaluated
  • Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) in Vienna

2001

  • National Point of Contact for Space Law (NPOC Austria) of the European Centre for Space Law (ECSL) founded

2002

  • Austrian Space Applications Programme ASAP and dedicated test bed for applications in the field of satellite navigation ARTIST initiated

2003

  • Ground station in Vienna supports Canadian Nanosat-MOST
  • European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) founded in Vienna

2005

  • Funding of development of nano-sat TUGSAT-1 / BRITE-Austria in ASAP decided by BMVIT

2006

  • Austrian EU presidency conference "A Market for GMES in Europe and its Regions"

2007

  • Austria celebrates 20 years of ESA membership

2008

  • Austrian space activities evaluated

2011

  • Austrian Outer Space Act adopted
  • ESA Technology Transfer Broker Austria inaugurated
  • Austrian technology on board of Galileo satellite

2012

2013

  • First Austrian satellite TUGSAT-1 launched
  • Second Austrian satellite UniBRITE launched
  • Funding of studies on new nano satellites in ASAP11 decided

2014

  • Austrian elected chair of ESA Council
  • Earth Observation Data Centre for Water Resources Monitoring (EODC) founded in Vienna

2015

  • Regulation implementing the Austrian Outer Space Act adopted
  • Austrian technology on board of Earth observation satellite Sentinel-1A

2016

  • European Space Education Resource Office in Austria inaugurated
  • ESA Business Incubation Centre Austria inaugurated
  • TEC-Laboratory (radiation hardness assurance) in Austria inaugurated

2017

  • Austria celebrates 30 years of ESA membership

  • Third Austrian satellite PEGASUS launched on 23rd June 2017

2018

  • 50th anniversary of the first Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE+50) celebrated in Vienna
  • Austrian EU presidency conference "#EUSPACE for Business"

2019

  • 25th UN/Austria Symposium in Graz
  • World Space Forum in Vienna
  • Fourth Austrian satellite OPS-SAT launched on 18th December 2019