The Austrian Space Agency, officially known since 2005 as the Aeronautics and Space Agency (German: Agentur für Luft- und Raumfahrt), is an organization whose purpose is to coordinate Austrian space exploration-related activities. It has been involved in both national programmes and multinational efforts coordinated via the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Austrian Space Agency was established in 1972, its headquarters is located in Vienna. On 1 January 1987, Austria became a member state of the ESA. The agency is notable for coordinating the first space flight of an Austrian, that of engineer Franz Viehböck with a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft, during 1990.
History
Background
Prior to the formation of the Austrian Space Agency, Austria had been actively involved in space activities.
During 1975, Austria began actively participating in the European Space Agency (ESA), the successor to the ESRO. During 1981, Austria was recognised as an associate member of the ESA.