History and Governance

Our Institute was created following a decision made by the Council of the European Space Agency in December 2002. We are an association under Austrian Law, and our certificate of foundation and initial statutes were signed in November 2003 by representatives of our founding members, ESA and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), the legal successor of the Austrian Space Agency.

We are supported by our two founding members and our regular members. The latter includes various institutions drawn from European agencies, operators and private companies, as well as the European Commission.

Founding members

Our Certificate of Foundation and original statutes were signed in November 2003 by representatives of our founding members, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). We are funded and supported by our two founding members and our regular members.

• European Space Agency Visit website
• Austrian Research Promotion Agency Visit website

Members

Our membership includes various institutions drawn from European agencies, operators and private companies.

• Arianespace Visit website
• Belgian Science Policy Office Visit website
• Beyond Gravity Visit website
• European Commission Visit website
• EUMETSAT Visit website
• Eutelsat Group Visit website
• Exolaunch Visit website
• German Aerospace Center Visit website
• Italian Space Agency Visit website
• Luxembourg Space Agency Visit website
• National Centre for Space Studies Visit website
• Norwegian Space Agency Visit website
• OHB SE Visit website
• Polish Space Agency Visit website
• Portuguese Space Agency Visit website
• Romanian Space Agency Visit website
• SERI / Swiss Space Office Visit website
• Spanish Space Agency Visit website
• Thales Alenia Space Visit website
• UK Space Agency Visit website
• Xjenza Malta Visit website

Supported by

Our efforts and activities are supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure.

Visit website

General Assembly

We are governed by a General Assembly which defines our general long-term guidelines and approves our annual work plan. Each member organisation has a representative on the General Assembly. The General Assembly is chaired by the departmental head of the Aeronautics and Space Agency (ALR) of Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). The Financial Committee of the General Assembly is chaired by Daniele Galardini from the European Space Agency (ESA). Representatives of our Members in ESPI General Assembly include:

• Andreas Geisler, Austrian Research Promotion Agency – co-founder (Chair)
• Eric Morel de Westgaver and Daniele Galardini, European Space Agency – co-founder
• Manuel Oesterschlink, Arianespace
• Julien Béclard, Belgian Space Policy Office
• Manfred Sust, Beyond Gravity
• Paul Counet, EUMETSAT
• Flora Seube, Eutelsat Group
• Christoph Kautz and Isabella Poldrugo, European Commission
• Olga Stelmakh-Drescher, Exolaunch
• Gernot Papperitz, German Aerospace Center
• Cristiana Cirina and Luisa Santoro, Italian Space Agency
• Mathias Link, Luxembourg Space Agency
• Gregory Pradels, National Centre for Space Studies
• Hans Morten Synstnes, Norwegian Space Agency
• Matteo Tugnoli, OHB SE
• Ewa Zysnarska, Polish Space Agency
• Ricardo Conde, Portuguese Space Agency
• Flaviu Raducanu, Romanian Space Agency
• Raphael von Roten, SERI / Swiss Space Office
• Juan Carlos Cortés, Spanish Space Agency
• Shahrzad Larger, Thales Alenia Space
• Jessica Fell and Sinead Russell, UK Space Agency
• James Catania and Omar Cutajar, Xjenza Malta