Looking for a home
In 1962 the newly founded European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) needed sites for its infrastructure, and the Norwegian physicist Odd Dahl toured candidate locations across Europe. ESTEC first worked in Delft, near the Technical University, but land and workers were scarce there and the ground was waterlogged.
To the dunes
In spring 1964 the Dutch government chose Noordwijk, about 40 kilometres from Amsterdam, and the first temporary buildings were in place in June 1964. Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus inaugurated ESTEC on 3 April 1968. In May 1968 ESRO-2B became the first satellite developed at ESTEC, and tested there, to be launched.
ESA
ESRO’s convention was the basis for the ESA Convention, opened for signature in 1975; how ESA works today is explained on Mandatory and optional.
Sources
- ESA, Fifty years of ESTEC, the heart of Europe’s space research
- ESA, Special edition marks 50 years of the ESA Convention
Sources checked on: 1 November 2026