European Space Conference

European Space Conference
1966 - 1975

Parallel forms of name: Conférence spatiale européenne

Other form of name:
ESC

At the first conference of the "European Launcher Development Organisation" (ELDO) ministers, held on July 1966, the need for close and effective co-ordination of the activities of the two space organisations was voiced wich prompted the creation of an "European Space Conference" (ESC), the first of which was held in Paris on 13 December 1966, with the participation of 14 countries. Afterwards, ESC became a permanent body and met at least once a year at ministerial level to work out and ensure the implementation of a co-ordinated European space policy. The ministerial meeting in Brussels on 20 December 1972 finally managed to reach unanimous agreement on all outstanding issues: there should be a single "European Space Agency" which would have the task of integrating national and European space programmes in the future, including the ARIANE launcher and the SPACELAB porgramme. The final agreement was submitted on 15 April 1975 to the final ministerial meeting of the European Space Conference which accepted it.