List of space agencies

List of Space Agencies

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List of space agencies

This is a list of government agencies
Government agency

A government agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency....
engaged in activities related to outer space
Outer space

Outer space comprises the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. Outer space is used to distinguish it from airspace and terrestrial locations....
and space exploration
Space exploration

Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
.

The name given is the English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
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.

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English language

Name	Acronym	Founded	Terminated	Website	Ref(s)
Aeronautics & Space Research and Diffusion Center	CIDA-E	5 August 1975	—		—
Algerian Space Agency	ASAL	16 January 2002	—		—
Austrian Space Agency Austrian Space Agency The Austrian Space Agency was an organization whose purpose has been to coordinate Austria space exploration-related activities. It was established in 1972 by authorities in Vienna.... (Austrian Solar and Space Agency 1977–1987; Also Aeronautics and Space Agency; )	ASA	12 July 1972	—
Azerbaijan National Aerospace Agency	AMAKA	21 February 1992	—		—
Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy The Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy is a Belgium scientific institute, providing public service and performing research in the fields of Aeronomy and Space physics....	BIRA IASB BISA	25 November 1964	—
Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales The Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales is an organisation belonging to Venezuela Ministry of the Popular Power for Science and Technology....	ABAE	1 January 2008	—
Brazilian Space Agency Brazilian Space Agency The Brazilian Space Agency is the civilian authority in Brazil that is in charge of the country's burgeoning Space exploration. It operates a spaceport at Centro de Lan?amento de Alc?ntara and a rocket launch site at Centro de Lan?amento de Barreira do Inferno....	AEB	10 February 1994	—
British National Space Centre British National Space Centre The British National Space Centre is a United Kingdom government body that coordinates civil space activities. It operates as a voluntary partnership of ten departments of the United Kingdom government and Research Council....	BNSC	20 November 1985
Bulgarian Aerospace Agency Bulgarian Aerospace Agency The Bulgarian Space Agency, known as the Space Research Institute or SRI , founded in 1969 is among world's oldest space agencies....	BASA	1993
Canadian Space Agency Canadian Space Agency The Canadian Space Agency is the Canadian government space agency responsible for Canada's outer space program. It was established in March 1989 by the Canadian Space Agency Act and sanctioned in December 1990....	CSA ASC	14 December 1989	—
China National Space Administration China National Space Administration The China National Space Administration is the national List of space agencies of the People's Republic of China responsible for the national Chinese space program.... (Chinese Simplified Chinese character Simplified Chinese Characters are one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. They are based mostly on popular cursive forms embodying graphic or phonetic simplifications of the "traditional" forms that were used in printed text for over a thousand years.... : ????????????)	CNSA	22 April 1993	—
Colombian Space Commission	CCE	18 July 2006	—
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the national government body for scientific research in Australia. It was founded in 1926 originally as the Advisory Council of Science and Industry....	CSIRO	1926	—
Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems was formed in 1982 by the major space agencies of the world to provide a forum for discussion of common problems in the development and operation of space data systems....	CCSDS	1982	—		—
Committee on Space Research COSPAR The Committee on Space Research was established by the International Council for Science in 1958.Among COSPAR's objectives are the promotion of scientific research in outer space on an international level, with emphasis on the free exchange of results, information, and opinions, and providing a forum, open to all scientists, for the discus...	COSPAR	1958	—		—
Czech Space Office Czech Space Office The Czech Space Office, CSO is a non-profit association created in November 2003. The bodies of the association are the Management Board, the Supervisory Board and the Managing Director....	CSO CKK	November 2003	—
Danish National Space Center Danish National Space Center The Danish National Space Center is a Danish sector research Institute and a part of the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation....		January 1, 2005
Danish Space Research Institute Danish Space Research Institute The Danish Space Research Institute was a Danish sector research institute under the Danish Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation.Its primary areas of research was astrophysics and solar system physics....			1 January 2005
European Space Agency European Space Agency The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmentalism organisation dedicated to the Space exploration, currently with 18 member states....	ESA ASE	31 May 1975	—
Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency The Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency is the organization in charge of administering and executing the Ecuadorian civilian space program and conducting scientific research on space and planetary sciences....	EXA	1 November 2007	—
Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency	GISTDA ????	2 November 2002	—
German Aerospace Center German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany....	DLR	1969	—
Hungarian Space Office Hungarian Space Office The Hungarian Space Office is the national space agency of the Republic of Hungary. It was established by the Hungarian government in 1992. The current director is Elod Both ....		1992
Indian Space Research Organization	ISRO ????	August 15, 1969	—		DisplayLink("http://www.isro.org/about_isro.htm", "(*)")
Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing	ISARS ????	1955	—
Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial The Instituto Nacional de T?cnica Aeroespacial is Spain's space agency. It was founded in 1942 and has its headquarters in Torrej?n de Ardoz, near Madrid....		1942
Iranian Space Agency Iranian Space Agency The Iranian Space Agency is Iran's governmental space agency.The president of Iranian Space Agency is one of the deputies of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology....	ISA	2004
Israeli Space Agency Israeli Space Agency Israeli Space Agency is a governmental body that coordinates all Israeli space research programs with scientific and commercial goals. It was established in 1983 and is currently headed by Aluf professor Yitzhak Ben Yisrael....	ISA ??"?	April 1983	—
Italian Space Agency Italian Space Agency The Italian Space Agency was founded in 1988 to promote, coordinate, and conduct outer space activities in Italy. Operating under the Ministry of the Universities and Scientific and Technological Research, the Agency cooperates with numerous international and Italian entities, who are active in space technology, and with the Italian Presiden...		1988
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency The , or JAXA, is Japan national aerospace agency. JAXA was formed on October 1, 2003, as an Independent Administrative Institution through the merger of three previously independent organizations....	JAXA	October 1, 2003	—
Kazakh Space Research Institute	SRI	1991	—		—
Korean Committee of Space Technology	KCST	c.2009 ?		—
Korea Aerospace Research Institute Korea Aerospace Research Institute The Korea Aerospace Research Institute is the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea. Its main laboratories are located in Daejeon, in the Daedeok Science Town....	KARI	1989
Malaysian National Space Agency	ANGKASA	2002	—
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	NASA	1 October 1958	—
National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences	NARRS	1994 1994 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday .The year 1994 was designated as the "International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Charter" by the United Nations....	—		—
National Center of Space Research CNES The is the France government space agency . Its headquarters are located in central Paris. It operates out of the Centre Spatial Guyanais, but also has payloads launched from other space centres operated by other countries....	CNES	19 December 1961
National Commission for Aerospace Research & Development	CONIDA	11 June 1974	—		—
National Commission for Space Research	CNIE	1961	1991
National Institute of Aeronautics and Space National Institute of Aeronautics and Space National Institute of Aeronautics and Space is the Indonesian government List of space agencies. It was established in November 27, 1964 by the former Indonesian president Suharto after one year of informal space agency organization....	LAPAN	November 27, 1964
National Space Activities Commission Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales The Comisi?n Nacional de Actividades Espaciales is the civilian agency of the government of Argentina in charge of the national space program....	CONAE	28 May 1991	—
National Remote Sensing Center		1987	—		—
National Remote Sensing Center	CNT	1988	—		—
National Space Agency of Ukraine National Space Agency of Ukraine The National Space Agency of Ukraine is the Government of Ukraine agency responsible for space policy and programs.NSAU is a civil body in charge of co-ordinating the efforts of government installations, research, and industrial companies ....	NSAU	1992
National Space Organization	NSPO	October 1991	—
National Space Research and Development Agency National Space Research and Development Agency The National Space Research and Development Agency is the national space agency of Nigeria. It is a part of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and it is overseen by the National Council on Space Science Technology....	NASRDA	1998
Netherlands Institute for Space Research Netherlands Institute for Space Research The SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research is a Netherlands agency under the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research responsible for promoting, coordinating and supporting Dutch activities in space research....	SRON	1983
Norwegian Space Centre Norwegian Space Centre The Norwegian Space Centre or Norsk Romsenter is a Norway government agency that promotes space exploration. The Centre is located in Oslo and can reached via commuter train from Sk?yen station....
Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission The Pakistan Space Agency or Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission is the Pakistani government space agency responsible for Pakistan's outer space program....	SUPARCO	September 16, 1961
Portuguese Space Company (Companhia Espacial Portuguesa)		1989		[]
Romanian Space Agency Romanian Space Agency The Romanian Space Agency is the Romanian national coordinator regarding space-related technology, activities and programs since 1991....	ASR	1991
Remote Sensing Center		1971	1994
Royal Centre for Remote Sensing	CRTS	December 1989	—		—
Russian Federal Space Agency Russian Federal Space Agency The Russian Federal Space Agency , RKA, or RSA, formerly the Russian Aviation and Space Agency , is the government agency responsible for Russia's space science programme and general aerospace research....	RKA / RSA	c.1992
Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey	TÜBITAK	1991	—		—
Soviet space program Soviet space program The Soviet space program consisted of initiatives within the Soviet Union by competing design groups. Being primarily a military program, it was classified....	????	c.1955	c. 1991
Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization is a government controlled astronomy and space research organisation of Bangladesh.Established in 1980 as an autonomous multisectoral R & D organization of the Govt....	SPARRSO	1980	—
Space Research Centre Space Research Centre The Space Research Centre is Poland's space agency. It is a scientific institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. It was established in 1977....	CBK	1977	—
Space Research Institute	SRI		—		—
Swedish National Space Board Swedish National Space Board The Swedish National Space Board , or Rymdstyrelsen in Swedish, is a Sweden government agency operating under the Government_agencies_in_Sweden#Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications....
Swiss Space Office
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is an organization of the United Nations General Assembly charged with implementing the Assembly's space-related policies....	UNOOSA	13 December 1958	—
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was established in 1958 as an ad hoc committee. In 1959 it was formally established by United Nations resolution ....	UNCOPUOS	12 December 1959	—		—

Highest budget space agencies

The budgets listed are the official budgets from the different space agencies' homepages. Note that the Chinese budget of $500 million is from official figures by Luo Ge, vice administrator of the China National Space Administration. The budget is not normalized to the expenses of space research in each country/region, i.e. higher budget does not mean more activity or better performance in space exploration.

Country	Agency	Budget
	NASA NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....	$17.3 billion
France France France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France.... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia.... , United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe.... , Belgium Belgium * A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium.... , Spain Spain Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably.... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland.... , Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east.... , Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula.... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south.... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east.... , and Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....	ESA European Space Agency The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmentalism organisation dedicated to the Space exploration, currently with 18 member states.... (European Space Agency)	$4.85 billion
	CNES CNES The is the France government space agency . Its headquarters are located in central Paris. It operates out of the Centre Spatial Guyanais, but also has payloads launched from other space centres operated by other countries.... (French Space Agency)	$2.49 billion
	RKA Russian Federal Space Agency The Russian Federal Space Agency , RKA, or RSA, formerly the Russian Aviation and Space Agency , is the government agency responsible for Russia's space science programme and general aerospace research.... (Russian Federal Space Agency)	$2.215 billion
	JAXA Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency The , or JAXA, is Japan national aerospace agency. JAXA was formed on October 1, 2003, as an Independent Administrative Institution through the merger of three previously independent organizations.... (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)	$2.1 billion
	DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany.... (German Aerospace Center)	$1.660 billion
	ASI (Italian Space Agency)	$1.55 billion
	ISRO Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation is the primary body for space research under the control of the government of India. It was established in its modern form in 1969 as a result of coordinated efforts initiated earlier.... (Indian Space Research Organization)	$1.300 billion
	CNSA China National Space Administration The China National Space Administration is the national List of space agencies of the People's Republic of China responsible for the national Chinese space program.... (China National Space Administration)	$500 million
	BNSC British National Space Centre The British National Space Centre is a United Kingdom government body that coordinates civil space activities. It operates as a voluntary partnership of ten departments of the United Kingdom government and Research Council.... (British National Space Centre)	$414 million
	CSA Canadian Space Agency The Canadian Space Agency is the Canadian government space agency responsible for Canada's outer space program. It was established in March 1989 by the Canadian Space Agency Act and sanctioned in December 1990.... (Canadian Space Agency)	$321 million
	AEB Brazilian Space Agency The Brazilian Space Agency is the civilian authority in Brazil that is in charge of the country's burgeoning Space exploration. It operates a spaceport at Centro de Lan?amento de Alc?ntara and a rocket launch site at Centro de Lan?amento de Barreira do Inferno.... (Brazilian Space Agency)	$294 million
Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....	NSAU (National Space Agency of Ukraine)	$250-300 million
	Belgian science policy and space policy	$230 million
	CDTI (Spanish Space Agency)	$175 million
	SRON Sròn Sr?n is the Scottish Gaelic language word for nose and is the name of some hills in the Scottish Highlands. Before the abolition of the acute accent in Scottish Gaelic, it was sometimes spelt as sr?n... (Netherlands Institute for Space Research)	$160 million
	KARI Korea Aerospace Research Institute The Korea Aerospace Research Institute is the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea. Its main laboratories are located in Daejeon, in the Daedeok Science Town.... (Korea Aerospace Research Institute)	$150 million
	SSO (Swiss Space Office)	$110 million
	SNSB Swedish National Space Board The Swedish National Space Board , or Rymdstyrelsen in Swedish, is a Sweden government agency operating under the Government_agencies_in_Sweden#Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications.... (Swedish National Space Board)	$100 million
Entire world	All space agencies (total of listed budgets)	$35.5 billion

List of space agencies

Highest budget space agencies

External links