Space Organizations
This is a list of government agencies engaged in activities related to outer space and space exploration.
The name given is the English version, with the native language version below. The acronym given is the most common acronym: this can either be the acronym of the English version (e.g. JAXA), or the acronym in the native language. Where there are multiple acronyms in common use, the English one is given first.
The date of the founding of the space agency is the date of first operations where possible. If the space agency is no longer running, then the date when it was terminated (i.e. the last day of operations) is given. A link to the Agency's primary website is also given.
- Color legend
The capabilities of the space agencies are color-coded as follows:
Manned Lunar Exploration + Operates Space Station + Manned Space Flight + Operates Extraterrestrial Probes + Launch Capability + Operates Satellites Operates Space Station + Manned Space Flight + Operates Extraterrestrial Probes + Launch Capability + Operates Satellites Manned Space Flight + Operates Extraterrestrial Probes + Launch Capability + Operates Satellites Operates Extraterrestrial Probes + Launch Capability + Operates Satellites Launch Capability + Operates Satellites Operates Satellites None Of The AboveSpace agency | Country | Founded | Terminated | Capabilities of the space agency | Ref(s) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Initialisms/Acronym | Astronauts | Operates Satellites | Sounding Rockets capable | Recoverable Biological Sounding Rockets capable | |||||
Belarus Space Agency | Belarus | 2010 | — | No | No | Yes | No | |||
Aeronautics and Space Research and Diffusion Center (Spanish: Centro de Investigación y Difusión Aeronáutico-Espacial) |
CIDA-E | Uruguay | 5 August 1975 | — | No | No | No | No | — | |
Mexican Space Agency (Spanish: Agencia Espacial Mexicana) |
AEM | Mexico | 30 July 2010 | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | — | |
Algerian Space Agency French: Agence Spatiale Algérienne Berber: Tafullut Tadzayrit n Tallunt Arabic: الوكالة الفضائية الجزائرية |
ASAL | Algeria | 16 January 2002 | — | No | Yes | No | No | — | |
Asia Pacific Multilateral Cooperation in Space Technology and Applications (Chinese: 亚太空间技术应用多边合作会议) |
AP-MCSTA |
International
China |
February 1992 | — | No | Yes | No | No | — | |
Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (Japanese: アジア太平洋地域宇宙機関会議) |
APRSAF |
International
Australia |
1993 | — | No | Yes | No | No | — | |
Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (Chinese: 亚太空间合作组织) |
APSCO |
International
Bangladesh |
28 October 2005 | — | No | Yes | No | No | — | |
German: Agentur für Luft- und Raumfahrt (Aeronautics and Space Agency; also Austrian Space Agency; (Austrian Solar and Space Agency 1977–1987) |
ALR | Austria | 12 July 1972 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Milli Aerokosmik Agentliyinin (Azerbaijan National Aerospace Agency) |
AMAKA | Azerbaijan | 21 February 1974 | — | No | Yes | No | No | — | |
Dutch: Belgisch Instituut voor Ruimte-Aëronomie French: Institut d’Aéronomie Spatiale de Belgique (Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy) |
BIRA IASB BISA |
Belgium | 25 November 1964 | — | Yes | No | No | No | ||
Spanish: Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales (Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities) |
ABAE | Venezuela | 1 January 2008 | — | No | Yes | No | No | ||
Portuguese: Agência Espacial Brasileira (Brazilian Space Agency) |
AEB | Brazil | 10 February 1994 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
UK Space Agency | UKSA | United Kingdom | 1 April 2010 | — | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Bolivian Space Agency |
ABAE | Bolivia | 2012 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Bulgarian: Българска академия на науките (Space Research Institute, Solar-Terrestrial Influences Institute) Bulgarian Space Agency |
ИКИ-БАН SRI-BAS ИСЗВ-БАН STIL-BAS |
Bulgaria | 1987 | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
Canadian Space Agency French: Agence spatiale canadienne |
CSA ASC |
Canada | 1 March 1989 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
China National Space Administration (Chinese: 中华人民共和国国家航天局) |
CNSA | People's Republic of China | 22 April 1993 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Spanish: Comisión Colombiana del Espacio (Colombian Space Commission) |
CCE | Colombia | 18 July 2006 | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing | CRISP | Singapore | 1995 | — | No | Yes | No | No | ||
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation | CSIRO | Australia | 1926 | — | No | Yes | No | No | ||
Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems | CCSDS |
International
Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) |
1982 | — | No | No | No | No | — | |
Committee on Space Research | COSPAR |
International
Argentina |
1958 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Croatian: Hrvatska svemirska agencija (Croatian Space Agency) |
HSA CSA |
Croatia | October 2002 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Czech: Ministerstvo dopravy České republiky (Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic - Space Technologies and Satellite Systems Department) |
Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic |
Czech Republic | 2003 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Danish: Danmarks Rumcenter (Danish National Space Center) |
DRC DNSC |
Denmark | 1 January 1968 |
31 December 2006 |
Yes | No | No | No | ||
Danish: Dansk Rumforskningsinstitut (Danish Space Research Institute) |
DRKI DSRI |
Denmark | 1 January 2005 |
31 December 2006 |
No | Yes | No | No | ||
Danish: Danmarks Tekniske Universitet – Institut for Rumforskning og -teknologi (Technical University of Denmark – National Space Institute) |
DTU Space | Denmark | 1 January 2006 |
— | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
European Space Agency (French: Agence spatiale européenne) (German: Europäische Weltraumorganisation) |
ESA ASE EWO |
European Union Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom |
31 May 1975 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Thai: สำนักงานพัฒนาเทคโนโลยีอวกาศและภูมิสารสนเทศ) |
GISTDA สทอภ |
Thailand | 3 November 2002 | — | No | Yes | No | No | ||
German: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center) |
DLR | Germany | 1969 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Hungarian: Magyar Űrkutatási Iroda (Hungarian Space Office) |
MŰI HSO |
Hungary | January 1992 | — | No | Yes | No | No | ||
Indian Space Research Organization (Hindi: भारतीय अंतरिक्ष अनुसंधान संगठन) |
ISRO इसरो |
India | 15 August 1969 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Greek: Ινστιτούτο Διαστημικών Εφαρμογών και Τηλεπισκόπησης (Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing) |
ΙΔΕΤ ISARS |
Greece | 1955 | — | No | Yes | No | No | ||
Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial | INTA | Spain | 1942 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Iranian Space Agency (Persian: سازمان فضایی ایران) |
ISA | Iran | 2003 | — | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Israeli Space Agency (Hebrew: סוכנות החלל הישראלית) |
ISA סל"ה |
Israel | April 1983 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Italian Space Agency (Italian: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) |
ASI | Italy | 1988 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Japanese: 宇宙航空研究開発機構) |
JAXA | Japan | 1 October 2003 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
National Space Agency (KazCosmos); Kazakh Space Research Institute |
NSA (KazCosmos); SRI |
Kazakhstan | 1991 | — | No | Yes | No | No | — | |
Korean Committee of Space Technology (Korean: 조선우주공간기술위원회) |
KCST | North Korea | 1980s | — | No | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Korea Aerospace Research Institute (Korean: 한국항공우주연구원) |
KARI | South Korea | 10 October 1989 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Lithuanian Space Association | LSA | Lithuania | 2007 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Malaysian National Space Agency (Malay: Agensi Angkasa Negara) |
ANGKASA | Malaysia | 2002 | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
National Aeronautics and Space Administration | NASA | United States | 1 October 1958 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (Arabic: الهيئة العامة للاستشعار عن بعد وعلوم الفضاء ) |
NARSS | Egypt | 1994 | — | No | Yes | No | No | ||
French: Centre National d’Études Spatiales (National Center of Space Research) |
CNES | France | 19 December 1961 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Spanish: Comisión Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Aeroespacial (National Commission for Aerospace Research and Development) |
CONIDA | Peru | 11 June 1974 | — | No | No | Yes | No | — | |
Spanish: Comisión Nacional de Investigaciones Espaciales (National Commission for Space Research) |
CNIE | Argentina | 1961 | 1991 | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
Spanish: Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (National Space Activities Commission) |
CONAE | Argentina | 28 May 1991 | — | No | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Indonesian: Lembaga Antariksa dan Penerbangan Nasional (National Institute of Aeronautics and Space) |
LAPAN | Indonesia | 27 November 1964 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
National Remote Sensing Center of Mongolia | NRSC | Mongolia | 1987 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
French: Centre national de télédétection (Arabic: المركز الوطني للإستشعار عن بعد) (National Remote Sensing Center of Tunisia) |
CNT | Tunisia | 1988 | — | No | No | No | No | — | |
Uzbek State Space Research Agency (UzbekCosmos) | USSRA (UzbekCosmos) | Uzbekistan | 2001 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Ukrainian: Національне космічне агентство України (National Space Agency of Ukraine) |
НКАУ NSAU |
Ukraine | 2 March 1992 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
National Space Organization (Chinese: 國家太空中心) |
NSPO | Republic of China (Taiwan) | October 1991 | — | No | Yes | Yes | No | ||
National Space Research and Development Agency | NASRDA | Nigeria | 1998 | — | No | Yes | No | No | ||
Dutch: Stichting Ruimteonderzoek Nederland (Netherlands Institute for Space Research) |
SRON | Netherlands | 1983 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Norwegian: Norsk Romsenter (Norwegian Space Centre) |
NRS NSC |
Norway | 1987 | — | No | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Urdu: پاکستان خلائی و بالا فضائی تحقیقاتی کمیشن) |
SUPARCO سپارکو |
Pakistan | 16 September 1961 | — | No | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Portuguese: Gabinete do Espaço da FCT (FCT Space Office) |
FCT SO |
Portugal | 2009 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Romanian: Agenţia Spaţială Română (Romanian Space Agency) |
ASR ROSA |
Romania | 1991 | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
former Egypt Remote Sensing Center | EASRT-RSC | Egypt | 1971 | 1994 | No | No | No | No | ||
French: Centre Royal de Télédétection Spatiale Berber: Ammas Amrrukan n Tallunt (Arabic: المركز الملكي للإستشعار البعدي الفضائي) (Royal Centre for Remote Sensing) |
CRTS | Morocco | December 1989 | — | No | No | No | No | — | |
Russian: Федеральное космическое агентство (Russian Federal Space Agency) |
ROSCOSMOS | Russia | c.1992 | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Sri Lanka Space Agency | SLSA | Sri Lanka | 2010 (Proposed) | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Turkish: TÜBİTAK Uzay Teknolojileri Araştırma Enstitüsü (TÜBİTAK UZAY) (TUBITAK Space Technologies Research Institute) |
TÜBİTAK UZAY | Turkey | 1985 | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | — | |
Russian: Советская космическая программа (Soviet space program) |
СССР | Soviet Union | ca. 1955 | ca. 1991 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization | SPARRSO | Bangladesh | 1980 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Polish: Centrum Badań Kosmicznych PAN (Space Research Centre) |
CBK-PAN SRC |
Poland | 1977 | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
South African National Space Agency | SANSA | South Africa | 2011 | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Space Research Institute of Saudi Arabia (Arabic: معهد بحوث الفضاء ) |
KACST-SRI | Saudi Arabia | — | — | No | Yes | No | No | — | |
Vietnamese: Viện Công nghệ vũ trụ (Space Technology Institute) |
CNVT VAST-STI |
Vietnam | 20 November 2006 | — | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
Swedish: Rymdstyrelsen (Swedish National Space Board) |
SNSB | Sweden | 1972 | — | No | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Swiss Space Office | SSO | Switzerland | — | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Turkmenistan National Space Agency | Turkmenistan | 2011 | — | No | No | No | No | |||
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs | UNOOSA | United Nations | 13 December 1958 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space | UNCOPUOS |
Albania |
12 December 1959 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
United & Independent Space Agency (in formation) | UISA | International | 1 May 2013 (Expected) | — | No | No | No | No | ||
Vietnam Space Commission | VNSC | Vietnam | 2008 | — | No | No | No | No |
Read more about Space Organizations: List of Space Agencies With Launch Capability, List of Space Agencies With Manned Spaceflight Capability, List of Achievements of Space Agencies With Lunar Landing Capability, Expected Future Space Agencies, Budgets, World Maps, See Also
Famous quotes containing the word space:
“Not so many years ago there there was no simpler or more intelligible notion than that of going on a journey. Travelmovement through spaceprovided the universal metaphor for change.... One of the subtle confusionsperhaps one of the secret terrorsof modern life is that we have lost this refuge. No longer do we move through space as we once did.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)