An institution with its feet on the ground With its 22 Member States, 50 years of experience, and eight centers in Europe, ESA is well established in the space research and technology landscape. On its website, the organization clearly states its objective: "To better understand Earth (...) and the Universe in order to develop satellite technologies and services and promote European industries." But if its goal is to stimulate a truly European effort, it does not involve direct competition with NASA. "ESA works closely with space organizations outside Europe to ensure that the benefits of space benefit all humanity," states the agency's website. A not so astronomical budget One of the reasons ESA doesn't compete directly with NASA is that their annual budgets aren't comparable. While the European agency has managed to stabilize its budget, it's still three times smaller than NASA's. In 2018, ESA had €5.6 billion at its disposal, while NASA had $19.1 billion in its portfolio. To each his own conquest of space While NASA plans to send its first astronaut to Mars in 2030, ESA focuses on less spectacular but equally important missions. When ESA selects a mission, it always tries to take into account what others—namely, the Americans—have already done, with the aim of completing or harmonizing knowledge.
