For David Skogerboe, studying the history of European space programmes is more than an academic pursuit—it is also personal. “I’m a space nerd,” he admits with a grin, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo of the Moon landing. “I’ve got the man on the moon and an astronaut on my arm.” His fascination with science fiction and space exploration shaped his academic path from the start.
This same interest in space recently landed him at the Historical Archives of the European Union in Florence, where he spent several weeks consulting the archives of the European Space Agency and its predecessor organisations. David’s research visit was funded by the European Space Agency Research Grant, a fellowship programme at the Historical Archives that started in 2022 thanks to an agreement between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European University Institute.
Currently also a doctoral candidate funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund at Utrecht University’s Freudenthal Institute, Skogerboe is three years into a project examining the history and development of Europe’s earth observation satellite infrastructures. His dissertation project, entitled ‘A History of European Satellite Futures: Imaginaries and Expectations in the Development of ESA's Meteorology and Remote-Sensing Infrastructures, 1959-1991’, traces the evolution of these programmes between 1959, at the dawn of European space cooperation, and 1991, when the first European Remote Sensing Satellite was launched. He spent several weeks at the Historical Archives in Florence this year to do research for this project, thanks to the ESA grant.
From science fiction to policy archives
Skogerboe’s trajectory began with his master’s thesis on Arthur C. Clarke—not primarily as a science fiction writer, but as an advocate of satellite technology. “When you study Clarke more closely, you realize that most of his career was genuine space advocacy,” Skogerboe explains. Clarke addressed the UN, advised NASA, and used his fiction to inform the public and build enthusiasm for space exploration. That exploration of Clarke’s dual role sparked Skogerboe’s interest in the history of satellites—and their political, social, and technological contexts.
A missing piece: earth observation infrastructure
The focus of Skogerboe’s PhD project is what he sees as a missing component in the historiography of European space programmes: the earth observation (EO) infrastructure. EO encompasses meteorological satellites and remote sensing systems—both the satellites themselves and the vast network of ground stations, data centers, and international agreements that make them work.
“I’m studying that development from the beginning,” he explains, “from 1959 and the collaborative European space effort, tracing first the meteorological satellites that led to Meteosat in 1977, then moving to remote sensing and the launch of ERS-1 in 1991.”
Central to his analysis is the concept of “socio-technical imaginaries”—collective visions of the future that shape technological development. “Any space project can take ten or fifteen years to materialise,” he notes, “and in Europe, without a centralised national process, everything depends on consensus among member states.”
In this context, Skogerboe argues, European space projects embody the broader project of European integration: disparate national delegations coming together to define a shared vision. “There’s a desire to get the group to agree on the future they want to pursue,” he says, “and that consensus shapes the direction of technological development.”
Consensus in tension
This consensus, however, is never easy. The process is inevitably interdisciplinary, involving politics as much as science and technology. “There is a constant tension between what member states want to do nationally and what they’re willing to do at the European level,” Skogerboe observes. France, Germany, the UK, and others each brought distinct priorities to the table, proposing projects that aligned with their own strategic goals.
“What should we share? What should we do alone? These questions really shape what gets built at the European level,” he says.
When asked what drove the initial push for European space collaboration, Skogerboe points to a sense of urgency in the late 1950s. The superpowers—the United States and the Soviet Union—had already launched satellites and were accelerating their space programmes. “In postwar Europe, it was clear they couldn’t compete individually. Combining resources was the only way to avoid being left behind,” he explains.
The founders of CERN, Edoardo Amaldi and Pierre Auger, were instrumental in establishing the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) in 1964, starting modestly with pure science. “Astronomy and the study of the upper atmosphere were more neutral areas of research, with fewer immediate military applications,” explains Skogerboe. “That made collaboration more palatable.” Over time, the scope expanded to include meteorology and communication applications satellites, even as national interests and slow consensus-building kept progress to a ‘glacial’ pace.
Satellite futures and imaginaries
One of Skogerboe’s key contributions is his articulation of “satellite futures”—the specific expectations and projections voiced by national delegations as they negotiated projects. “Satellite futures are the individual statements put forward during coalition-building,” he explains. “If we do X, we’ll get Y. Some of these futures align, others conflict, and you can trace which ones take root and become part of the collective imaginary.”
These imaginaries were not just technical but also social and political. Beyond functional goals—like linking weather bureaus or ensuring sovereignty in communications—the projects were designed to demonstrate European unity and technological independence.
Sovereignty in the sky
In the decades since, Europe has established itself as a sovereign and significant player in space. “ESA is one of the premier space agencies in the world,” Skogerboe observes. “If you trace it back, the original drive was to ensure that Europe had independent capabilities because space technology was strategically indispensable.”
Today, ESA boasts its own communications infrastructure, GPS network, and an impressive record of planetary exploration. “It’s remarkable what they’ve accomplished, especially given how slow and complex the process has been compared to the US or USSR,” Skogerboe says.
Research as a force for European integration
Skogerboe’s archival research, much of it conducted at the Historical Archives of the European Union in Florence, has expanded beyond his initial expectations. “The project was originally meant to start at the beginning of ESA, but I realized I had to go back to 1959, to the work leading up to ESRO, to get the full story,” he explains.
In the reading room, he focuses on capturing data for later analysis, digging into the intricate decision-making structures within ESA: from the Council, which makes final decisions, down through programme boards and technical expert groups. “I’m really telling an internal story, focusing on the programme boards where you see the negotiation between technical goals and social and political imaginaries,” he says.
That negotiation, Skogerboe argues, remains central to Europe’s place in space today. “The Council and national delegations know what they want to achieve, but they have to agree on why it’s worth public money. Those discussions—balancing technical feasibility with social and political goals—are where the collective imaginaries emerge.”
Skogerboe’s research in the archives of the European Space Agency exemplifies how the private and corporate archives held at the HAEU contribute to the story of European integration. More than a history of technology, his work promises to show how ESA embodies that integration — the product of compromises, negotiations, and shared visions, balancing national and collective ambitions. “ESA was used as an example of European integration, showcasing how collective technology could bind Europe together,” he points out.
The European Space Agency holdings and the ESA postgraduate research grant programme
The European Space Agency fonds were deposited at the HAEU under the terms of a deposit contract signed between ESA and the HAEU on 12 May 1989.
The European Space Agency Postgraduate Research Grant Programme at the European University Institute aims to increase knowledge about the origins of the European Space Agency, the development of European space research, and the evolution of Europe’s activities in space. Up to two grants are awarded each year to support early career researchers in consulting the ESA fonds at the HAEU.