Space Agencies Around the World

Launching vehicles into space offers researchers, governments and commercial agencies the ability to enhance our knowledge, our methods of communication and our systems of defense. While some agencies simply launch and monitor satellites, others may send complicated space vehicles and humans into space.
 
 
Having a presence in space provides us with a better perspective of Earth, our solar system and the rest of the galaxy. Similarly, by placing satellites and other objects in space, we can improve our existing technologies, especially in telecommunications, while we develop new ones.
 
Given the importance of space exploration, many countries around the world have set up government-related agencies to specifically focus on establishing and maintaining a presence in space. The table below indicates the name, acronym and primary duties of national space agencies in different countries.
 

Country Affiliation

Name of National Space Agency

Name of Agency in Original Language
Space Agency Acronym

American

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

English: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA

Brazilian

Brazilian Space Agency

Portuguese: Agencia Espacial Brasileira

AEB

Canadian

Canadian Space Agency

French: Agence Spatiale Canadienne

CSA

Chinese

China National Space Administration

N/A

CNSA

European

European Space Agency

N/A

ESA

French

National Center for Space Studies

French: Centre National d' Etudes Spatiales

CNES

Iranian

Iran Space Agency

N/A

ISA

Israeli

Israel Ministry of Science and Technology

N/A

IMST

Italian

Italian Space Agency

Italian: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana

ASI

Japanese

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

N/A

JAXA

Russian

Russian Aviation and Space Agency

N/A

RKA

 
Keep in mind that the above table only includes the names of government affiliated space agencies for each country. In addition to the above listed national space agencies, each country also has a number of scientific agencies and commercial companies committed to researching and developing space exploration technologies.
 
For example, to help NASA, the United States has a number of other space-related agencies, including (but not limited to):
  • Ames Research Center, CA
  • Glenn Research Center, OH
  • Goddard Space Flight Center, MD
  • Johnson Space Center, TX
  • Kennedy Space Center, FL
  • Langley Research Center, VA
  • Marshall Space Flight Center, AL
  • Wallops Flight Facility, VA.
As our understanding of space grows, so too does our existing technology, which helps us further explore the vastness of space. Because space research and exploration is an ongoing project, more and more space agencies will come into existence around the world in the near future.

NASA's Current Projects

As the primary national space agency of the United States, NASA is constantly developing and maintaining a number of projects. Here is a list of some of the projects NASA is currently working on:
  • Aqua, the Latin word for water, is a satellite mission that will gather large amounts of data about the water cycles on Earth.

  • Aura Mission will study the current status of the Earth's atmosphere.

  • CALIPSO advances our climate studies, making it easier for following generations to accurately predict weather. This mission will also study the quality of our breathing air.

  • New Horizons focuses on gathering information about Pluto and its orbiting celestial bodies.

  • SMART 1 will experiment with new technologies and examine the darker south side of the Moon, a first for NASA.

Resources
 
NASA (n.d.). Exploration Home. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from the NASA Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/mission
_pages/exploration/main/index.html.
 
Space Law Station (n.d.). World Government Space Agencies. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from the Space Law Station Web site: http://www.spacelawstation.com/worldgov.html.