Posted on 13 January 2016
The European Space Agency (ESA) with headquarters in Paris has recently transferred the archival files for the year 2000 to the Historical Archives of the European Union, adding to the deposit of its historical archives in Florence. The new transfer of the official documentation of the ESA decision-making bodies and services is now available for consultation in Florence and a total of 831 archival files of ESA are now available to researchers.
The files of 2000 are of particular interest because in that crucial year two Ministerial Conferences were held, which renewed ESA’s strategic actions. The files bear witness of resources given to projects, such as the European Microgravity Research Programme (EMIR). Other fundamental projects were the third phase of Advanced Research in Telecommunication System (ARTES-3) and advancements on the space debris. Two important agreements were signed with Canada and Portugal which were soon associated to the important GalileoSat navigation project. The papers shed light on the delicate management of programmes in a situation of budgetary constraints.
The ESA archival fonds is open and accessible for consultation. The reproduction of documents is limited to 500 copies per researcher, per annum and per academic project.
Access to the ESA fonds.