Development of national space governance and policy trends in member states of the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been the main programmatic and industrial capacities development organisation of the European space sector since its establishment during early 1970s. Understanding the national policies of its Member States is crucial for the future development of a coherent European Space Policy. Over the last years, ESA has developed a methodology to track the development of national space policies of its Member States and collaborating state. The “Member States Observatory� is a basic resource for understanding the complexity of the European national space strategies available to the national delegates, ESA experts and employees alike. The main objective of this study is to present the findings and methodology of two reports conducted under a broader PhD research in 2014 and 2017, in order to identify the main space strategy drivers in development of the ESA Member States national space sectors. The analysis has found four main areas and multiple subtopics by which can be used to classify the level of development and the focus of a national space strategies. These main areas are: structure of governance, strategic priorities, motivations, and areas of sustainability.