Marecs was the first European maritime communication satellite, providing realtime voice, data and telex services for maritime users. The programme resulted in a major breakthrough for mobile telecommunications expertise and was ESA’s first venture into commercial satellites with the two satellites leased to the International Maritime (later Mobile) Satellite Organisation. Marecs-A was launched in December 1981, Marecs-B in September 1982; they were retired from Inmarsat service in 1991 and 1996 respectively.

Mars Express was the first European Mars orbiter and lander, launched on a Soyuz fregat from Baikonur in June 2003, arriving at Mars in December 2003. The British-led Beagle 2 probe was released on 19 December 2003, but nothing was heard from it after its scheduled touchdown. (It was subsequently located on Mars in 2014, demonstrating its successful landing.)

The mission played a key role in the international exploration programme for Mars, focusing on global coverage and the search for water and life, with the orbiter’s instruments providing remote sensing of the atmosphere, ground and up to 5 km below the surface. 

Since beginning science operations in 2004, it has provided breathtaking views of Mars in three dimensions, the most complete map of the chemical composition of the atmosphere, studied Mars’s innermost moon Phobos, and traced the history of water across the globe, demonstrating that Mars once harboured environmental conditions that may have been suitable for life.

The mission remains in operation.

The Meteosat satellite series were the first meteorological and geostationary satellites in Europe, which introduced the concept of a global system of geostationary platforms capable of observing the atmospheric circulation and weather around the equator, in near real-time. The Programme was approved by ESRO in 1972. ESA was responsible for developing and operating the system on behalf of the European Meteorological Satellite Organisation (EUMETSAT), which took direct operational control on 1 December 1995 as the Meteosat Transition Programme began.

Meteosat-1: launched in November 1977 (mission end 1984)
Meteosat-2: launched in June 1981 (mission end 1991)
Meteosat-3: launched in June 1988 (mission end 1995)
Meteosat-4: launched in March 1989 (mission end 1995)
Meteosat-5: launched in March 1991 (mission end 2007)
Meteosat-6: launched in November 1993 (mission end 2011)
Meteosat-7: launched in September 1999 (mission end 2017). Last of the first-generation meteorological satellites.

Meteosat-8/MSG-1- the first satellite in the Meteosat Second Generation programme: launched in August 2002 (mission end 2022).

The Mir space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. Mir was the first modular space station, assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996. The main MIR module was launched on 20 February 1986. Although a Russian space station, it had also been opened for international use and various European astronauts had flown on it.