List of government space agencies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Government space agencies are bodies established by national governments, or by regional agencies representing groups of countries, to advocate for and engage in activities relating to outer space, including the operation of space systems, and space exploration.[citation needed]
Their objectives include the use of remote sensing data, communications, education, and economic development. Most agencies are civil rather than military bodies, established to advance the benefits of exploring and using space. They range from small agencies with limited budgets to large national or regional organizations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States, the European Space Agency (ESA) which coordinates for more than 20 constituent countries, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the State Corporation for Space Activities "Roscosmos" (Roscosmos) of Russia, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The space agency listings are segregated to enable identification of subsets of the complete list that have advanced to higher levels or technical or programmatic proficiency in accordance with the following:
- Establishment of agency, initial exploitation of space-based systems
- Development of launch capability
- Capacity for extraterrestrial exploration
- Demonstration of human spaceflight capability across one or more of these domains
Overview
As of 2024,[update] nearly 80 different government space agencies are in existence, including more than 70 national space agencies and several international agencies.
Launch capability
This group of agencies have developed or are developing launch infrastructure including space launch sites, suborbital launch technology, orbital launch systems, cryogenic rocket technologies and reusable hardware technologies.
Extraterrestrial exploration capability
This group of agencies have developed advanced technological capabilities required for travel and study of other heavenly bodies within the Solar System. These involve the capacity to leave the local area around the planet Earth for lunar and/or missions to other bodies in the Solar System.
| Space agency | Demonstrated capability | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operates flyby spacecraft | Operates extraterrestrial orbiter | Controlled surface impact | Uncrewed soft landing | Uncrewed rover operation | Sample return | |
 CNSA[121] |
 (Chang'e 5-T1) |
(Chang'e 1) |
(Chang'e 1) |
(Chang'e 3) |
(Yutu-1) |
(Chang'e 5) |
 |
(Ulysses) |
(Mars Express) |
(Rosetta) |
(Huygens) |
 |
|
 ISRO[123] |
(Chandrayaan-3) |
(Chandrayaan-1) |
(Moon Impact Probe)[37] |
(Chandrayaan-3) |
(Pragyan) |
|
 JAXA[124] |
(Hiten) |
(Hiten) |
(Hiten) |
(Hayabusa) |
(MINERVA-II) |
(Hayabusa) |
 Soviet space program † |
(Luna 1) |
(Luna 10) |
(Luna 2) |
(Luna 9) |
(Lunokhod 1) |
(Luna 16) |
 NASA |
(Pioneer 4) |
(Lunar Orbiter 1) |
(Ranger 7) |
(Surveyor 1) |
(Sojourner) |
(Apollo 11) |
 Roscosmos |
|
(ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter) |
(Luna 25) |
|
|
|
Without launch capabilities
This category is formed by agencies that operate and construct satellites in extraterrestrial environments, but do not have the capability to transport those satellites to the desired orbit/trajectory/landing spot. As of May 2024, five space agencies have achieved the requirements to be listed here:[a]
| Space agency | Demonstrated capability | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operates extraterrestrial orbiter | Controlled surface impact | Uncrewed soft landing | Uncrewed rover operation | Sample return | |
 LuxSpace | (Manfred Memorial Moon Mission, flyby only) | | | | |
 ASI | (ArgoMoon) | | | | |
 KARI | (Danuri) | | | | |
 UAESA | (Emirates Mars Mission) | | | | |
 SUPARCO | (ICUBE-Q) | | | | |
Human spaceflight capability
The space agencies listed here have demonstrated the greatest technological capacity for human spaceflight, along with the supporting capabilities needed to sustain human activity in orbit or on extraterrestrial bodies. Each missions listed, and the personnel named where relevant, represent the first successful instance of that activity.
| Space agency | Demonstrated capability | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crewed space launch | EVA | Rendezvous and docking | Space station | Crewed circumlunar flight | Crewed Moon landing | |
| CNSA | (Shenzhou 5) | (Shenzhou 7) | (Shenzhou 8 to Tiangong-1) | (Tiangong-1) | | |
| ISRO |
|
|
(SDX01 to SDX02 — as part of SpaDeX) |
|
|
|
| Roscosmos | (Soyuz TM-14) | (Mir, Aleksandr Volkov and Sergei Krikalev) | (Soyuz TM-14 to Mir) | (Mir) | | |
| Soviet space program † | (Vostok 1) | (Voskhod 2, Alexei Leonov) | (Soyuz 4 to Soyuz 5) | (Salyut 1) | | |
| NASA[100] | (Mercury-Redstone 3) | (Gemini 4, Ed White) | (Gemini 8 to GATV) | (Skylab) | (Apollo 8) | (Apollo 11) |
Proposed agencies
Albanian Space Office (ASO), proposed in 2020, at progress stage.[125]
Armenian Space Agency (ArmCosmos), proposed in 2013 with the goal to launch satellites, currently negotiating with the International Telecommunication Union to clear the path for its prospective launch.[126]
Bhutan Space Office (BSO), proposed in 2016, at progress stage.[127]
Botswana Aeronautics and Space Agency (BotswanaSpace), proposed in 2020, at progress stage.[128]
Cambodian Aeronautics and Space Office (CASO), proposed in 2016, at progress stage.[129]
Croatian Space Agency (CROSA), proposed in 2020, currently operates as NGO Adriatic Aerospace Association (A3), at progress stage.[130][131]
Djibouti National Space Office (DNSO), announced in 2022, at bill stage.[132]
Guatemala Space Agency, proposed in 2019, at progress stage.[133][134]
Honduras Space Agency (AEH), proposed in 2018, at progress stage.[135]
Iraqi National Aeronautics and Space Office (INASO), proposed in 2019, at progress stage.[136]
Lao Aeronautics and Space Agency (LaoSpace), proposed in 2015, at progress stage.[137]
Latvia Space Office (LSO), proposed in 2020, at progress stage.[138]
Malta Space Office (MSO), proposed in 2022, at progress stage.[139]
Moldova National Space Office, proposed in 2018, at progress stage.[140]
Monaco Space Agency, proposed in 2020, at progress stage.[141]
Montenegrin National Bureau of Space, announced in 2022, bill stage.[142]
Myanmar Aeronautics and Space Agency (MASA), proposed in 2019, at progress stage.[143][144]
Nepal Aeronautics and Space Office (NepalSpace), proposed in 2018, at progress stage.[145]
Nicaraguan Space Agency (AEN), announced in 2021, bill stage.[146][147]
Oman Space Agency (OSA), proposed in 2020, at progress stage.[148][149]
Palestine Space Agency (PSA), proposed in 2010, at progress stage.
Panama Space Agency (AEP), proposed in 2014, at progress stage.[150]
Serbian Space Office (SerbSpace), proposed in 2016, at progress stage.[151]
Slovenian National Bureau of Space, proposed in 2019, at progress stage.[152][153]
Sri Lanka Aeronautics and Space Agency (SLASA), proposed in 2009. Immediate goal was to construct and launch two satellites. Sri Lankan Telecommunications Regulatory Commission had signed an agreement with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd to get the relevant help and resources.[154]
Sudan Space Agency, proposed in 2017, at progress stage.[155]
Tanzanian National Space Agency (TNSA), proposed in 2021, at progress stage.[156]
Uruguayan Space Agency (AEU), Announced in 2021, bill stage.[157]
Budgets
The annual budgets listed are the official budgets of national space agencies available in public domain.[158][159] For European contributors to ESA, the national budgets shown include also their contributions to ESA.
| Agency | Budget (US$ millions) |
Year | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASA |
25,400 | 2025 | [160][161] |
| CNSA |
18,150 | 2023 | [162] |
|
9,080 | 2025 | [163] |
 CNES |
3,521 | 2022 | [164] |
| JAXA |
2,388 | 2022 | [165] |
| Roscosmos |
1,950 | 2025 | [166] |
| ISRO |
1,831 | 2022 | [167][168] |
| ASI |
1,685 | 2024 | [169] |
 GAC |
1,424 | 2021 | [170] |
 HSC |
1 | 2023 | [171][172] |
 AEE |
739 | 2023 | [173] |
| KASA |
726 | 2025 | [174] |
 UKSA |
604 | 2021 | [175] |
 CSA |
460 | 2019 | [176] |
 ASA |
394 | 2020 | [177] |
 ISAB |
260 | 2020 | [178] |
 PSA |
243 | 2025 | [179] |
 ISA, ISRC and ARI |
222 | 2024 | [180] |
 SSO |
177 | 2019 | [181] |
 NLSA |
150 | 2022 | [182] |
 SNSA |
120 | 2022 | [183] |
 SSAU |
107 | 2022 | [184] |
 NSA |
103 | 2019 | [185] |
 TSA |
207.3 | 2026 | [186] |
 ASA |
75 | 2020 | [187] |
 BSA |
68 | 2022 | [188] |
 CONAE |
63 | 2022 | [189] |
 NIAS |
54 | 2022 | [190][191] |
| SUPARCO |
50 | 2019 | [192][193] |
 PSA |
38 | 2019 | [194] |
 NSRDA |
36 | 2020 | [195] |
 ASA |
35 | 2020 | [196][197] |
 ISA |
17 | 2020 | [198] |
 SANSA |
15 | 2020 | [199] |
 AEP |
9 | 2023 | [200] |
 MASA |
4 | 2022 | [201] |
 ESSTI |
3 | 2022 | [192] |
 CSA |
1 | 2014 | |
.svg){kind=small} World |
~62,000 |
See also
Notes
- Failed projects like "Colmena" of the MSA/AEM (Mexican Space Agency/Agencia Espacial Mejicana) are not included in this list.
- ISA (Israel Space Agency) does have launch vehicles (Shavit 2) but not powerful enough to reach further than Earth orbit.
- This list does not include the previous space agencies.
