European Space Agency

Historical eventJanuary 152005

European Space Agency

ESA's SMART-1 lunar orbiter discovers elements such as calcium, aluminum, silicon, iron, and other surface elements on the Moon.

Everything on January 15Original source

In context

When
Saturday, January 15 200521 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2000s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2005.

What happened

The European Space Agency is a 23-member international organisation devoted to space exploration. It has its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 3,000 people globally as of 2025. ESA was founded in 1975 in the context of European integration. Its 2026 annual budget was around €8.3 billion.

January 15 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 2005European Space Agency
  2. 2013Badrashin railway accident
  3. 2015Swiss National Bank
  4. 2016Kenya Defence Forces
  5. 2018Construction
  6. 2019Theresa May
  7. 2019Somalia
  8. 2020Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
  9. 20212021 West Sulawesi earthquake
  10. 20222022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption and tsunami
  11. 2023Yeti Airlines Flight 691

Also in 2005

  • September 12Israeli–Palestinian conflictIsraeli–Palestinian conflict: the Israeli disengagement from Gaza is completed, leaving some 2,530 homes demolished.
  • September 13Corrupted Blood incidentA software bug caused a simulated pandemic in the online video game World of Warcraft, serving as a model for epidemiologists to understa…
  • September 16CamorraThe Camorra organized crime boss Paolo Di Lauro is arrested in Naples, Italy.
  • September 5Mandala Airlines Flight 091Mandala Airlines Flight 091 crashed shortly after take-off in Indonesia due to pilot error, killing 100 out of the 117 people on board al…
  • October 20UNESCOThe general conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passes the Convention on the Prot…
  • October 22Bellview Airlines Flight 210Bellview Airlines Flight 210 crashed in Ogun State, Nigeria, killing all 117 people on board.
  • October 22Tropical Storm AlphaTropical Storm Alpha forms in the Atlantic Basin, making the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season the most active Atlantic hurricane season unt…
  • August 14Helios Airways Flight 522Helios Airways Flight 522 crashed into a mountain north of Marathon, Greece, killing all 121 people on board.

Everything we record for 2005 →

Sources

Cite this page

“European Space Agency”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/european-space-agency-2005-january-15, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did European Space Agency happen?

January 15 2005 — 21 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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