Organizational structure of ESA
Organizational structure of ESA is as follows:
- Director general – DG:
- The DG is the head of ESA’s management, the Chief Executive Officer of the Agency and its legal representative.
- The DG is voted by 2/3 of the Council once in a 4 year period.
- The DG implement programmes, executes policy and reports to the Council.
- The DG is assisted by scientific, administrative and clerical staff and related personnel to perform the activities. The whole staff is generically named „The Secretariat“.
- The Council:
- It is a governing body of ESA.
- The ESA Council consists of representatives of each Member State and is headed by a Chairman, elected for 2 years.
- Each Member State has one vote.
- The Council meets quarterly at delegate level and every two to three years at ministerial level.
- Its role is to take decisions regarding ESA’s activity and policy.
- The Council is the head of 6 Programme boards and 5 Committees.
5 Committees – are devoted to the definition, management, running and control of mandatory activities:
- IPC (Industrial Policy Committee)
- AFC (Administration and Finance Committee)
- IRC (International Relations Committee)
- SC (Security Committee)
- SPC (Science Programme Committee)
6 Programme boards – are devoted to the definition, to the management, to the running and to the control of the six optional programmes:
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PB-LAU (Launchers Programme Board)
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PB-HME (Programme Board for Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration)
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JCB (Joint Board on Communication Satellite Programmes)
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PB-NAV (Programme Board on Satellite Navigation)
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PB-EO (Earth Observation Programme Board)
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SSA (Space Situationnel Awareness)