Inaugurated in April 1968 by HRHs Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands, the ESA facilities in Noordwijk are celebrating their 50 years of existence this year. Today, the European Space Technology and Research Centre (ESTEC) has grown into the technical and organizational nerve centre of the Space sector in Europe.

On the occasion of this festive event, a new online brochure has been issued retracing the history of ESA’s largest establishment and giving a hint of what the coming 50 years might bring. Enjoy the publication!

For many years, SPACEBEL has been involved in the development of several space missions or infrastructures for ESA-ESTEC such as the Columbus laboratory, the SMART probe, the Proba satellites, the Rosetta spacecraft, LISA pathfinder, the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Preparatory Programme etc. An impressive track record that reflects our long-standing collaboration and strong ties with ESTEC…