Space agency
A space organization is used to describe authorities , institutions and associations of authorities, persons, companies and institutions that deal with the exploration and / or utilization of space for civil or military purposes.
National space agencies
Many countries maintain national space organizations for exploring and using space. These are sometimes responsible for the military and civil use of space, sometimes only for civil or only military use. In some places, the organizations concerned are only responsible for space travel and the use of space, and sometimes also for the scientific development of aviation .
The best-known national space agency is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) founded on July 29, 1958 , the civil US federal aerospace agency, which was the first and so far only organization to send people to the moon .
List of national space agencies
(Selection; incomplete)
Associations of several states or organizations from different countries
Europe
In addition to national space agencies, there are also combinations of several countries such as the European Space Agency (Engl. European Space Agency , ESA for short). This was founded on May 30, 1975 to better coordinate European space activities, as the technological gap in space travel compared to the USSR and the USA was growing ever greater due to the immense efforts of both countries. It has 22 member states. The ESA is the successor organization to the European ELDO , ESRO and the European Telecommunications Satellite Conference (CETS). Like them, it is limited to "exclusively peaceful purposes" of space travel in accordance with Art. II of its statute.
Several states
In addition to associations of national organizations, there are also associations for individual purposes, e.g. B. for the development and operation of rockets , space stations , satellites and satellite networks.
Development and, if necessary, joint operation of systems
- An example of a multi-state association for the development and, if necessary, for the joint operation of systems is the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites , (German: "European Organization for the Use of Meteorological Satellites") EUMETSAT in Darmstadt , which the Meteosat - and MetOp - Operates weather satellites.
- Another example is the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), a network of earth observation satellites for the purpose of disaster relief, which is operated by DMC International Imaging. Participants are the states:
- Algeria with Alsat-1 , type DMC, 32m MS, 2002
- China with Beijing-1 , type DMC + 4, 32m MS / 4m Pan, 2005
- Nigeria , Nigeriasat-1 , type DMC, 32m MS, 2003
- Great Britain with UK-DMC, Type DMC, 32m MS, 2003
- Turkey with Bilsat-1 , Mission Completed 2006
- Spain with Deimos-1 , type GMC, 22m MS, 2008
- Great Britain with UK-DMC2 , type DMC, 22m MS, 2008
Standardization and information exchange
An example of an association for the purpose of standardization and the exchange of information is the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) based in Washington, DC The task of the CCSDS is to develop common methods of data traffic with space vehicles , primarily research probes .
Worldwide alliances
An example of an international space organization that is in principle open to all space organizations is the International Charter for Space and Natural Disasters , which in the event of a disaster quickly provides suitable satellite images including comparative images for the purpose of optimal planning and implementation of disaster relief .
The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee is a forum of space agencies to study, to prevent and to reduce space debris .
List of international space agencies
- Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization
- United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, COPUOS), UN
- Committee on Space Research , COSPAR
- Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems
- Disaster Monitoring Constellation
- European Cooperation for Space Standardization
- European organization for the use of meteorological satellites
- European space agency
- European Space Council
- International Academy of Astronautics
- International Astronautical Federation
- International Charter on Space and Natural Disasters
- Intercosmos
- Intersputnik (formerly state-owned, now privatized communication satellite company)
Private space agencies
- Private space organizations initially emerged from groups of scientists , engineers and space enthusiasts who propagated the idea of space travel and / or came together to exchange ideas, concepts and develop technology.
- Even today, in addition to the government organizations with a focus on space, there are non-governmental organizations , scientists or research institutions and some space enthusiasts who join forces to realize scientific purposes.
- Today, when telephone traffic, data traffic and television images are transmitted via satellites at market prices worth billions of euros, there are also large commercial providers, some of which are in turn linked in associations or consortia. Established markets are primarily communications via satellites, earth observation and navigation satellites . Large providers are u. a .:
- In recent times there have again been private associations that propagate further uses of space such as space tourism or the settlement of space and thus, like the first associations of this type, propagate future uses of space .
List of private space organizations
historical:
consisting of:
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- German Aerospace Society
- Space Generation Advisory Council
- Austrian Space Forum
- The Planetary Society
- B612 Foundation
far-reaching future-related goals:
- Mars One
- Mars Society
- New Spirit of St. Louis Organization
- Space Frontier Foundation
- Ansari X-Prize Foundation
