European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) is an international organisation with 22 member states (status 2019). Austria has been a member state since 1987. ESA's purpose is to provide for, and to promote for exclusively peaceful purposes, cooperation among European states in space research and technology and their space applications.

Austria's contributions to ESA amount to 50 million EUR annually for optional and mandatory programmes. About 90% of the contributions are then awarded to Austrian research institutions and companies in terms of contracts.

The relative distribution of the subscriptions at a programme level of all ESA member states compared to those of Austria in 2016 shows the targeted focus of Austria.

At the ESA Council at ministerial level, member states including Austria subscribe to optional and mandatory programmes usually for four year periods. Austria’s total volume for the years 2008, 2012 and 2016 amounted to approximately 110 million EUR.