With the start of a new year, the ESA Archives is gearing up to commemorate the first fifty years of ESA. It is a lovely irony that with the passing of time, celebrations to mark such events end up becoming historical events themselves. So, to kick off our own celebrations for 2025, we have put together this quick survey of some of the previous events organised for various European space anniversaries!
Two dates have been celebrated at organisational level since the mid-1970s:1964, as the year in which ESA’s predecessors ELDO and ESRO were created, and 1975 as the year in which ESA came into being. But it is not quite as neat as it initially appears, since the selection of these years was at the exclusion of other possible milestone years in European space history.
For example, ESA and its predecessors never celebrated the creation of GEERS (the European study group for collaboration in space research) and set-up of the preparatory commission COPERS for the establishment of ESRO, both of which took place in 1960. Nor 1962 – with the opening of the ELDO and ESRO Conventions for signature in March and June respectively. 1964 was preferred, when both Conventions entered into force. Conversely, ESA retains the signature of the ESA Convention in May 1975 as its own anniversary, rather than 1980, when its Convention entered into force.
The potential for extra complication is added by establishment anniversaries, with, for example, ESTEC celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012. In fact, ESTEC celebrated the reality, as one of the three establishments of ESRO that opened in 1962, when the organisation itself started its operations. And keeping up with the changing nomenclature can also be confusing. Slightly different formulations of wordings have been used through the years – from European space cooperation, to Europe in Space, to jubilee – sometimes with multiple names or shorthand versions for the same anniversary, such as for the 1984 celebrations, with an exhibition title referring to ‘Twenty Years of ESA’ and a booklet called 20 years of European cooperation in space!
With all that in mind, the overview below, with links to digitised material from the Archives and other online resources, may be a useful reference (or point of departure for your own research)!
In terms of the scope of these events, 1984 was the first major celebration of an anniversary (20 years since 1964) with a programme of events and publications organised at ESTEC, and royal patronage, by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, of the main ceremony.
However, the pinnacle was reached five years later with the 1989 Silver Jubilee commemoration (again, of 1964), attended by European heads of state including President Mitterand and Chancellor Kohl. This was followed in 2014 by a themed series of events across the year for the 50th anniversary of 1964. However, 1999 and 2004 were not celebrated as the 35th and 40th anniversaries of 1964, and during the 2000s ESA anniversaries begin to feature – with 2005 as the first celebration of ESA and the anniversary of the signature of its Convention.
The dilemma faced when deciding which anniversaries to promote has often been the choice between commemorating 1964 in the fourth year of the relevant decade, or 1975 in the fifth. These days, the decision largely rests on which is the more ‘important’ number of years. Hence there were no official commemorations in 2024 for 60 years of European Space Cooperation, to give precedence to marking the 50th anniversary of ESA.
Watch this space for more details of the events being planned in 2025!
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European space anniversaries from 1974 to 2014
1974 – 10th anniversary of ESRO
At the outset of planning, the event had been conceived as a celebration of Europe in Space under the flag of the new ESA. But since the arrival of ESA had been delayed until 1975, the anniversary concerned only ESRO in the end.
Its 10th anniversary was marked with a half-day ceremony in Paris, at the Centre de Conférences Internationales in avenue Kléber where ten of the key personalities from ESRO’s first decade, including its three Directors General, gave speeches (see the programme in the slideshow below).
Several days later, on 22 March, a ‘10 years of ESRO’ party was held in the main corridor of ESTEC, with a speech by the Director General, Alexander Hocker.
See photos from the 10th anniversary in SHIP:
1984 – Twenty years of European Cooperation in Space
For the 20th anniversary, a programme of events was put together at ESTEC, consisting of an official day of celebration on 9 May 1984, exhibition from 28 April to 5 May (Past, Present and Future: 20 Years of ESA, 1964 – 1984) and staff celebrations and activities on 11 and 12 May. The 63rd Meeting of ESA Council also took place at ESTEC on 10 and 11 May. Those unable to participate at ESTEC, were offered the option to take part in local events planned at HQ, ESOC and ESRIN.
The official celebration included a morning panel discussion on ‘Europe in Space’, an afternoon ‘Twenty Years Ceremony’ with speeches and video presentations (attended by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Ministers, Ambassadors and representatives of international organisations) and a gala dinner at the Ridderzaal in the Hague for 300 invited guests.
The major staff event was a party on 11 May, followed by an ESA Staff Day (a sports day, ESTEC Clubs fête and lunch for staff from all ESA establishments) on 12 May. A celebration for staff with 20 years service was organised at HQ on 14 December as part of the anniversary programme.
The commemorative book Europe two decades in space, 1964-1984, Recollections by some of the principal pioneers was published to mark the occasion, along with the booklet 20 years of European cooperation in space.
Read the speeches given at the 20th anniversary in ESA Bulletin 39.
See photos from the 20th anniversary in SHIP.
1989 – The Silver Jubilee, or 25 years of European cooperation in Space
A special task force was created to organise the programme for the Silver Jubilee celebration (for the 25th anniversary of Europe in Space). This centred around one major event and exhibition in Paris, with local celebrations (and in some cases exhibitions) also organised for each establishment. For example, the event for HQ staff and pensioners took place in Paris on 27 October 1989 (following a celebration for Agency staff with 20 and 25 years service on 26 October) and the event at ESOC on 5 June. A flag was created with the 25 years logo, and a video called The ESA Success Story produced. An essay competition for European students was also organised, on the theme of ‘Astronomy from Space’.
The main celebration, for invited VIPs, was held on the evening of 19 April 1989 at the Centre de Conférences Internationales in Paris and broadcast to staff across ESA establishments. The event was opened by ESA Director General Reimar Lüst and the guests of honour included President Mitterand of France and Chancellor Kohl of Germany, both of whom gave addresses. All participants and staff received a commemorative medallion and the Silver Jubilee publication, European space: 25, a silver Jubilee celebration, 1964-1989. An exhibition in front of the conference centre was organised in parallel and open to the public, focussing on 25 years of activity and on major upcoming programmes.
Additionally, a reunion of sounding rocket staff was organised at ESTEC on 15 September – for the 25th anniversary of the launch of the first ESRO sounding rocket on 6 July 1989.
Read the speeches from the ceremony in ESA Bulletin 58.
1994 – 30 years of space cooperation
In his foreword to the 1994 Annual Report, the Chairman of Council, Gaele Winters referred to the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the ESRO and ELDO Conventions, ''representing the start of the European space effort''. The commemorations were lower profile, with a dinner at the Hague on 8 October at the invitation of the Dutch Government in the presence of the ESA Council, former ESA Council Chairmen, Directors General and Directors.
Further events, planned around the 114th Meeting of the ESA Council in the Newton Conference Centre in ESTEC, took place from 18-20 October. They included an informal reception and buffet at Noordwijk Space Expo (NSE) on 18 October 1994; a tour of NSE with European 'space pioneers', including Delegates, former ESA Director Generals, Directors of ESA establishments and other senior ESA staff; and a visit to the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.
Events at ESTEC on page 95 of the 1994 Annual Report.
2005 – Thirty years of ESA
This was the first celebration for ESA, on the anniversary of the signature of its Convention in 1975, rather than for ESRO and ELDO, summarised by a brief sentence in the Foreword to the Annual Report by the Chairman of the Council: “2005 was also the year ESA that celebrated its 30th birthday”.
The main event, on 1 June, was the first visit of a Chancellor of the German Federal republic, Gerhard Schröder, to ESOC. A second event - 30 years of benefits from space for Europe’s citizens - was held in ESTEC on 29 June, hosted by Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Jan Brinkhorst. This was followed on 8 October by a Gala event at ESTEC for staff, contractors and pensioners.
For the occasion, the ESA Convention was compiled into a new publication in the twelve languages of its then Member States - ESA SP-1300, Convention for the establishment of a European Space Agency and the photographic book The World of ESA was produced for staff and contractors, ESA Delegates and selected guests, published by Editions de La Martinière.
News article on visit of Chancellor Schröder.
Events at ESTEC and ESOC on page 85 of the 2005 Annual Report.
Video: ESA 30 Years – a Pioneer Looks Back.
2014 – 50 years of European cooperation in space
The commemorations for 50 years of European space cooperation included two international conferences, celebrations at all ESA sites and ‘local’ events organised by other institutions in Member States across Europe. The programme was launched on 5 December 2013, at a stone laying ceremony for ESA’s new UK establishment at Harwell (ECSAT).
The ESA-organised international conference on Fostering industrial competitiveness, innovation and sustainability through industrial policy in space activities was held in Berlin on 19 May 2014, followed by The scientific and international dimension of European space cooperation, held in Geneva’s International Conference Centre on 12 September, with the support of the Swiss co-chairmanship of the ESA Council at Ministerial level.
Events at ESA establishments included:
- HQ: Lecture by space historian John Krige on 21 March and book signing on 27 June. Event for staff and local partners at UNESCO on 7 May.
- ECSAT: Staff visit to the Farnborough Air Show and dinner on 17 July.
- ESOC: Event for staff, media and local partners on 28 August, with presentations, panel discussions, video greetings and reception.
- ESAC: staff celebration on 20 June, visit by the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and dignitaries on 6 November.
- ESRIN: Event with representatives of the Italian Government, European institutions and industry on 26 November.
- ESTEC: staff celebration on 21 June, Visit by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, government representatives and ambassadors on 16 December.
A set of collectors’ coins in gold and silver featuring the Ariane launcher for ‘50 Years of European Space Cooperation’ were issued in February 2014 in a collaboration with La Monnaie de Paris, the national mint of France. Two commemorative publications were also produced: Fifty years of European cooperation in space: Building on its past, ESA shapes the future, by John Krige (the last publication in the ESA History Project), and the subsequent Celebrating half a century in space: Recollections of the 2014 anniversary events. Both were published by Editions Beauchesne.
Web news on the stone-laying ceremony.
Various articles and news in brief in ESA Bulletin 157.