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🏛️ Space Agencies

Space Agencies of the World Every Programme Profiled, Ranked & Compared

Every space agency on Earth in one place: 24 in-depth profiles with live satellite counts, a ranked top 10, budget comparisons and a directory of 70+ national and multilateral agencies — from NASA's $25 billion programme to the newest agencies in Africa and Asia.

24 in-depth profiles · 72 agencies in the directory · 831 agency-operated satellites tracked in orbit · 3 crewed programmes
NASA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The world's largest and most capable space agency
$25.4B · Est. 1958 ·👨‍🚀 Crewed
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ESA
European Space Agency — Europe's intergovernmental space agency
€7.8B · Est. 1975
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CNSA
China National Space Administration — China's rapidly expanding space programme
$14B · Est. 1993 ·👨‍🚀 Crewed
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Roscosmos
Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities — Heir to the Soviet space programme
$3.6B · Est. 1992 ·👨‍🚀 Crewed
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ISRO
Indian Space Research Organisation — India's cost-effective space powerhouse
$1.9B · Est. 1969
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JAXA
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency — Japan's precision-engineering space agency
$3.2B · Est. 2003
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CNES
Centre National d'Études Spatiales — France's national space agency
€3.3B · Est. 1961
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DLR
German Aerospace Center — Germany's aerospace research powerhouse
€2.6B · Est. 1969
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UK Space Agency
United Kingdom Space Agency — Steering the UK's fast-growing commercial space sector
£0.83B · Est. 2010
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KASA
Korea AeroSpace Administration — South Korea's national space agency since 2024 (successor to KARI's lead role)
$0.7B · Est. 2024
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CSA
Canadian Space Agency — Canada's space agency
C$0.43B · Est. 1989
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ASI
Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) — Italy's space agency
€1.5B · Est. 1988
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AEB
Brazilian Space Agency (Agência Espacial Brasileira) — Brazil's space agency
$0.12B · Est. 1994
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SUPARCO
Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission — Pakistan's space agency
$0.045B · Est. 1961
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EUSPA
European Union Agency for the Space Programme — Galileo, EGNOS and the EU's space services (not ESA!)
Est. 2021
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UAE Space Agency
United Arab Emirates — the Hope Mars orbiter, Emirati astronauts and MBZ-SAT
Est. 2014
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ASA
Australian Space Agency — Moon to Mars programme and a fast-growing commercial launch sector
Est. 2018
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ISA (Israel)
Israel Space Agency — the smallest nation with its own orbital launch: Shavit, Ofek and Beresheet
Est. 1983
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ISA (Iran)
Iranian Space Agency — ninth orbital-launch nation: Simorgh, Qaem and the Khayyam satellite
Est. 2004
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TUA
Turkish Space Agency — first Turkish astronaut, Türksat 6A and a lunar ambition
Est. 2018
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AEE
Agencia Espacial Española — Spain's new agency: PAZ, SpainSat NG and Miura rockets
Est. 2023
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TASA
Taiwan Space Agency — FORMOSAT Earth observation and the road to indigenous launch
Est. 1991
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CONAE
Argentina's space agency — SAOCOM radar satellites and the Tronador launcher
Est. 1991
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NATA
North Korea's space agency — Kwangmyongsong, Chollima-1 and Malligyong-1, under UN sanctions
Est. 2013
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Agency Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of the 14 flagship agencies — the newer tier of profiled agencies is linked from the directory below. Budget figures are approximate annual totals for the most recent fiscal year. See individual agency profiles for full details, live satellite counts and programme breakdowns.

Agency Country Budget Founded Crewed Primary Spaceport Flagship Programme
🇺🇸 NASA United States $25.4B 1958 ✅ Kennedy Space Center, Vandenberg SFB Artemis Programme
🇪🇺 ESA Europe (23 member states) €7.8B 1975 — Guiana Space Centre, Esrange Ariane 6
🇨🇳 CNSA China $14B 1993 ✅ Wenchang, Jiuquan Tiangong Space Station
🇷🇺 Roscosmos Russia $3.6B 1992 ✅ Baikonur Cosmodrome, Vostochny Cosmodrome Soyuz Crewed Missions
🇮🇳 ISRO India $1.9B 1969 — Satish Dhawan Space Centre Chandrayaan Lunar Programme
🇯🇵 JAXA Japan $3.2B 2003 — Tanegashima Space Center Hayabusa Asteroid Missions
🇫🇷 CNES France €3.3B 1961 — Guiana Space Centre Ariane Programme
🇩🇪 DLR Germany €2.6B 1969 — — Columbus ISS Module
🇬🇧 UK Space Agency United Kingdom £0.83B 2010 — SaxaVord Spaceport SaxaVord Spaceport
🇰🇷 KASA South Korea $0.7B 2024 — Naro Space Center Nuri · 2032 Moon landing
🇨🇦 CSA Canada C$0.43B 1989 — — Canadarm3 / Lunar Gateway
🇮🇹 ASI Italy €1.5B 1988 — — Vega Rocket Programme
🇧🇷 AEB Brazil $0.12B 1994 — — Alcântara Launch Center
🇵🇰 SUPARCO Pakistan $0.045B 1961 — — PakSat Communications

The Top 10 Space Agencies in 2026, Ranked

Ranked on budget, independent launch capability, crewed spaceflight, deep-space achievements and active fleet. Reasonable people can argue the middle of this list — the top three are hard to dispute. Each entry links to a full profile with live satellite counts.

  1. NASA · United StatesUnmatched budget ($25.4B), the Artemis lunar programme, crewed spaceflight and a deep-space science fleet no other agency approaches.
  2. CNSA · ChinaThe world's highest launch cadence, its own crewed space station (Tiangong), lunar sample returns and the fastest-growing satellite fleet.
  3. ESA · Europe (23 states)23 nations pooling €7.8B a year — Galileo navigation, the Copernicus Earth-observation fleet and the Ariane 6 launcher.
  4. Roscosmos · RussiaSix decades of crewed spaceflight heritage, the Soyuz lifeline to the ISS and the GLONASS navigation constellation.
  5. ISRO · IndiaFirst to land at the lunar south pole (Chandrayaan-3), record cost-efficiency, NavIC navigation and the Gaganyaan crewed programme.
  6. JAXA · JapanAsteroid sample-return pioneer (Hayabusa), the SLIM precision Moon landing, the H3 rocket and QZSS navigation.
  7. CNES · FranceEurope's oldest space agency (1961), operator of the Kourou spaceport and the largest single contributor to ESA.
  8. DLR · GermanyWorld-leading radar Earth observation (TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X) and builder of the ISS Columbus laboratory.
  9. ASI · ItalyThe COSMO-SkyMed radar constellation, the IRIDE fleet and leadership of Europe's Vega launcher programme.
  10. KASA · South KoreaThe newest top-tier agency (2024): an indigenous orbital launcher (Nuri), the Danuri lunar orbiter and a 2032 Moon-landing roadmap.

Space Agency Budgets Compared

Approximate annual budgets for the most recent fiscal year, shown in native currency; bar lengths use a rough US-dollar conversion for comparison. NASA spends more than the next four agencies combined.

NASA
$25.4B
CNSA
$14B
ESA
€7.8B
Roscosmos
$3.6B
CNES
€3.3B
JAXA
$3.2B
DLR
€2.6B
ISRO
$1.9B
ASI
€1.5B
UK Space Agency
£0.83B
KASA
$0.7B
CSA
C$0.43B
AEB
$0.12B
SUPARCO
$0.045B

Figures verified September 2026. China's figure is an external estimate — no official budget is published.

Every Space Agency in the World

The full directory: 72 national and multilateral space agencies, from launch superpowers to newly founded space offices. 🚀 independent orbital launch · 🛰️ operates satellites · 👨‍🚀 crewed spacecraft · 🏢 space office or research institute. Agencies in bold link to full profiles with live data.

AgencyFull nameCountry / RegionFoundedCapability
Tier 1 — profiled in depth
🇺🇸 NASANational Aeronautics and Space AdministrationUnited States1958🚀 🛰️ 👨‍🚀
🇨🇳 CNSAChina National Space AdministrationChina1993🚀 🛰️ 👨‍🚀
🇪🇺 ESAEuropean Space Agency — IntergovernmentalEurope · 23 member states1975🚀 🛰️
🇷🇺 RoscosmosRoscosmos State CorporationRussia1992🚀 🛰️ 👨‍🚀
🇮🇳 ISROIndian Space Research Organisation — Gaganyaan crewed programme in developmentIndia1969🚀 🛰️
🇯🇵 JAXAJapan Aerospace Exploration AgencyJapan2003🚀 🛰️
🇫🇷 CNESCentre National d'Études Spatiales — Operates the Kourou spaceportFrance1961🚀 🛰️
🇩🇪 DLRGerman Aerospace CenterGermany1969🛰️
🇬🇧 UKSAUK Space AgencyUnited Kingdom2010🛰️
🇰🇷 KASAKorea AeroSpace Administration — Succeeded KARI's lead role, May 2024South Korea2024🚀 🛰️
🇨🇦 CSACanadian Space AgencyCanada1989🛰️
🇮🇹 ASIItalian Space Agency — Leads Europe's Vega launcherItaly1988🛰️
🇧🇷 AEBBrazilian Space AgencyBrazil1994🛰️
🇵🇰 SUPARCOSpace & Upper Atmosphere Research CommissionPakistan1961🛰️
Europe
🇪🇸 AEEAgencia Espacial Española — Founded 2023Spain2023🛰️
🇺🇦 SSAUState Space Agency of Ukraine — Zenit/Cyclone launcher heritageUkraine1992🛰️
🇵🇱 POLSAPolish Space AgencyPoland2014🛰️
🇸🇪 SNSASwedish National Space Agency — Esrange launch siteSweden1972🛰️
🇳🇴 NOSANorwegian Space Agency — Andøya SpaceportNorway1987🛰️
🇨🇭 SSOSwiss Space OfficeSwitzerland1998🏢
🇦🇹 ALRAustrian Space Agency (ALR/FFG)Austria1972🏢
🇳🇱 NSONetherlands Space OfficeNetherlands2009🏢
🇧🇪 BELSPOBelgian Federal Science Policy Office (space) — Major ESA contributorBelgium—🏢
🇵🇹 PT SpacePortuguese Space Agency — Azores spaceport projectPortugal2019🏢
🇱🇺 LSALuxembourg Space Agency — Space-resources law pioneerLuxembourg2018🛰️
🇷🇴 ROSARomanian Space AgencyRomania1991🏢
🇨🇿 CSOCzech Space Office — EUSPA host countryCzechia2003🏢
🇭🇺 HSOHungarian Space OfficeHungary1992🏢
🇬🇷 HSCHellenic Space CenterGreece2019🏢
🇧🇬 SRTISpace Research & Technology Institute — Research instituteBulgaria1987🏢
Middle East & Central Asia
🇮🇱 ISAIsrael Space Agency — Shavit orbital launcherIsrael1983🚀 🛰️
🇮🇷 ISAIranian Space Agency — Independent orbital launch since 2009Iran2004🚀 🛰️
🇹🇷 TUATurkish Space AgencyTürkiye2018🛰️
🇦🇪 UAESAUAE Space Agency — Hope Mars orbiterUnited Arab Emirates2014🛰️
🇦🇪 MBRSCMohammed bin Rashid Space Centre — KhalifaSat; UAE astronautsUAE · Dubai2006🛰️
🇸🇦 SSASaudi Space Agency — From the 2018 Space CommissionSaudi Arabia2023🛰️
🇧🇭 NSSANational Space Science AgencyBahrain2014🛰️
🇰🇿 KazCosmosAerospace Committee (KazCosmos) — Baikonur host nationKazakhstan2007🛰️
🇦🇿 AzercosmosAzercosmos — Operator-agencyAzerbaijan2010🛰️
Asia-Pacific
🇹🇼 TASATaiwan Space Agency — Renamed from NSPO, 2023Taiwan1991🛰️
🇰🇵 NATANational Aerospace Technology Administration — Renamed from NADA, 2023North Korea2013🚀 🛰️
🇵🇭 PhilSAPhilippine Space AgencyPhilippines2019🛰️
🇮🇩 BRIN (ORPA)National Research & Innovation Agency — space research — Absorbed LAPAN, 2021Indonesia2021🛰️
🇹🇭 GISTDAGeo-Informatics & Space Technology Development AgencyThailand2000🛰️
🇻🇳 VNSCVietnam National Space CenterVietnam2011🛰️
🇲🇾 MYSAMalaysian Space AgencyMalaysia2019🛰️
🇸🇬 OSTInOffice for Space Technology & IndustrySingapore2013🏢
🇧🇩 SPARRSOSpace Research & Remote Sensing OrganizationBangladesh1980🏢
Africa
🇪🇬 EgSAEgyptian Space Agency — Hosts the African Space Agency HQEgypt2018🛰️
🇳🇬 NASRDANational Space Research & Development AgencyNigeria1999🛰️
🇿🇦 SANSASouth African National Space AgencySouth Africa2010🛰️
🇩🇿 ASALAlgerian Space AgencyAlgeria2002🛰️
🇲🇦 CRTSRoyal Centre for Remote SensingMorocco1989🛰️
🇰🇪 KSAKenya Space AgencyKenya2017🛰️
🇷🇼 RSARwanda Space AgencyRwanda2020🛰️
🇪🇹 SSGISpace Science & Geospatial InstituteEthiopia2016🛰️
🇸🇳 ASESSenegalese Space Study Agency — First satellite 2024Senegal2023🛰️
🇦🇴 GGPENNational Space Program Management Office — Angosat programmeAngola2013🛰️
🇿🇼 ZINGSAZimbabwe National Geospatial & Space AgencyZimbabwe2018🛰️
🇬🇭 GSSTIGhana Space Science & Technology Institute — Research instituteGhana2012🏢
Americas
🇦🇷 CONAEComisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales — SAOCOM radar satellitesArgentina1991🛰️
🇲🇽 AEMAgencia Espacial Mexicana — Restructured under digital agency, 2025Mexico2010🏢
🇵🇪 CONIDANational Aerospace Research & Development CommissionPeru1974🛰️
🇧🇴 ABEBolivian Space AgencyBolivia2010🛰️
🇻🇪 ABAEBolivarian Agency for Space ActivitiesVenezuela2008🛰️
🇵🇾 AEPParaguayan Space AgencyParaguay2014🏢
Oceania
🇦🇺 ASAAustralian Space AgencyAustralia2018🛰️
🇳🇿 NZSANew Zealand Space Agency — Hosts Rocket Lab launchesNew Zealand2016🏢
Multilateral & intergovernmental
🇪🇺 EUSPAEU Agency for the Space Programme — Operates Galileo/Copernicus servicesEuropean Union · Prague2021🛰️
🇪🇺 EUMETSATEuropean Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites — Weather-satellite operatorEurope · Darmstadt1986🛰️
🌏 APSCOAsia-Pacific Space Cooperation OrganizationAsia-Pacific · Beijing2005🏢
🌍 AfSAAfrican Space Agency — Operational since 2025African Union · Cairo2025🏢

Curated and verified September 2026. Genuine, active agencies and offices only — defunct or purely paper organisations are excluded. Know of a change? Tell us.

Frequently Asked Questions

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is the world's largest space agency by budget, with over $25 billion annually. It operates the most extensive programme of scientific, exploration and human spaceflight missions. By launch cadence, China's CNSA-coordinated programme (through CASC) now launches more rockets per year. See our NASA profile and CNSA profile for detailed comparisons.
More than 70 countries operate a space agency or national space programme office. Only about 15 have significant launch, satellite-manufacturing or deep-space capability. Orbital Radar profiles 24 of the most significant agencies in depth and maintains a directory of 70+ national and multilateral space agencies on this page, from NASA to the newest agencies in Africa and Asia.
As of 2026, countries with demonstrated independent orbital launch capability include: the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India, France/ESA (from Kourou), South Korea, Iran, Israel and North Korea, with New Zealand hosting Rocket Lab's launches. The UK (SaxaVord), Brazil (Alcântara) and Australia are developing or hosting launch sites. See our launch schedule for upcoming missions.
NASA is a single-nation agency (United States) with its own launch vehicles and crewed spacecraft. ESA is an intergovernmental agency of 23 European member states that pools resources — ESA does not operate crewed vehicles but sends European astronauts to the ISS aboard partner vehicles. NASA's budget (~$25B) is roughly 3× ESA's (~€7.8B). See NASA and ESA profiles.
Four agencies have achieved soft landings on the Moon: NASA (Apollo, 1969–1972), the Soviet space programme (Luna series, 1966–1976), CNSA (Chang'e 3, 4, 5, 6 — 2013–2024) and ISRO (Chandrayaan-3, 2023). Japan's JAXA achieved a precision landing with SLIM in January 2024. India and China are planning crewed lunar landings before 2035.
The most significant recent additions are South Korea's KASA (Korea AeroSpace Administration, May 2024), which took over national space policy from the KARI research institute; the African Space Agency (AfSA, headquartered in Cairo, operational since 2025); Spain's AEE (Agencia Espacial Española, 2023); and Senegal's ASES (2023). New national agencies continue to appear as more countries treat space as critical infrastructure.
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