| THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY (ESA) | ||
Whenever an ESA spacecraft goes into orbit, a thousand men and women in factories and laboratories across the world have contributed to make it happen. In the case of XMM-Newton (1999) for example, components and scientific instruments came from 14 European countries. Europe’s aerospace industry, which provides the means for accomplishing the ESA’s goals, is itself evolving rapidly on multinational lines. Companies that were formerly flag-carriers for their respective countries have formed large cross-border companies. These mergers create a new geography for the ESA’s policy of seeking competitive bidders and awarding contracts in member states proportionate to their contributions to the budget. |
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