Esa at 50: how the space agency helped keep Europe at the frontiers of science

By Martin Barstow, Professor of Astrophysics and Space Science, University of Leicester

Everyone has heard of Nasa, a name synonymous with every aspect of space exploration. Yet talk about Esa, the European Space Agency, is more likely to result in a blank stare.

Esa is not such a highly recognised brand, yet it has been central to the development of space exploration and to space science in Europe, delivering world class science at the frontiers of knowledge and allowing the continent to compete commercially with the wider world.

Europe compares favourably with the US on the level of space science it delivers,…

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