SpaceTRC / Space Age / Space agencies
The world’s space agencies: budgets, programmes, goals.
Commercial companies are growing, but returning to the Moon, exploring planets and building science telescopes are still largely the work of government agencies. This page compares seven agencies on the same measures: founding, budget, leadership and 2026 milestones.
- NASA 2026 budget
- $24.4 billionAs enacted by Congress
- ESA 2026 budget
- €8.26 billionRecord 3-year subscription €22.07 billion
- China’s 2025 launches
- 92CNSA figure
- Orbital attempts worldwide, 2025
- 329J. McDowell
01 / Agencies
Seven agencies at a glance
NASA
Founded 1958 · Washington
Sent astronauts around the Moon with Artemis II, the first time since 1972. Congress rejected proposed deep cuts in the 2026 budget, while Mars Sample Return was cancelled.
- Administrator
- Jared Isaacman (since Dec 2025)
- 2026 budget
- $24.4 billion
- 2026
- Artemis II, Roman telescope launched
ESA
Founded 1975 · Paris
Won a record €22.07 billion three-year subscription at the November 2025 ministerial. In October 2026 it proposed roughly €10 billion over ten years for independent European crew launch.
- Director General
- Josef Aschbacher
- 2026 budget
- €8.26 billion
- 2026
- Ariane 64 debut, Smile, Sentinel-3C
CNSA
Founded 1993 · Beijing
Launched 92 times in 2025. In July 2026 it caught a Long March 10B first stage with a net at sea, becoming the second nation to recover an orbital booster. Goal: a crewed lunar landing before 2030.
- Head
- Shan Zhongde
- Budget
- Not officially published
- 2026
- Shenzhou-23, Long March 10B
Roscosmos
Founded 1992 · Moscow
The Baikonur crew pad was damaged in November 2025 and repaired by March 2026. The new Soyuz-5 rocket made its first test flight in April 2026. Assembly of the Russian Orbital Station is planned to begin in 2028.
- Director General
- Dmitry Bakanov
- 2025 launches
- 17
- 2026
- Soyuz-5 debut, Soyuz MS-29
ISRO
Founded 1969 · Bengaluru
PSLV failed twice in a row, in May 2025 and January 2026. ISRO returned to flight with GSLV in September 2026. The uncrewed Gaganyaan G1 test is expected around December 2026.
- Chairman
- V. Narayanan
- 2026–27 budget
- ₹13,706 crore
- Next
- Gaganyaan G1, Chandrayaan-4 (2028)
JAXA
Founded 2003 · Tokyo
After a December 2025 failure, H3 flew three successful missions in 2026. On 20 October 2026 JAXA launched MMX, which will return samples from Mars’s moon Phobos.
- President
- Hiroshi Yamakawa
- 2026 operating budget
- ¥127 billion
- 2026
- MMX launched
02 / Launches
Orbital launches by country, 2025
There were 329 orbital launch attempts worldwide in 2025, 321 of which reached orbit. SpaceX flew 170 of the 181 US launches.
Source: Jonathan McDowell data (compiled by Payload and Starlust). More on launch companies: The world’s launchers.
03 / Türkiye
Turkish Space Agency (TUA) and the National Space Programme
TUA was founded by presidential decree on 13 December 2018 and is based in Ankara; its president since October 2023 is Yusuf Kıraç. In October 2026 it hosted the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, with participants from 111 countries.
| National Space Programme goal (2021) | Status (Nov 2026) |
|---|---|
| 1. Lunar mission | AYAP-1 integrated and in environmental testing; launch in the first months of 2027. AYAP-2 soft lander targeted for the early 2030s. |
| 2. New-generation domestic satellite | Türksat 6A launched July 2024, in service 2025. İMECE in orbit since 2023. |
| 3. Regional positioning and timing system | In development |
| 4. Access to space and spaceport | First-phase construction of the Somalia spaceport began December 2025. Roketsan’s ŞİMŞEK-1 aims to carry about 400 kg to orbit in 2027. |
| 5–9. Space weather, space object tracking, industry ecosystem, technology zone, human capital | Ongoing |
| 10. Sending a Turkish citizen to space | Achieved in 2024: Alper Gezeravcı (Ax-3) and Tuva Cihangir Atasever (Galactic 07) |
International ties: Türkiye signed the Artemis Accords on 31 August 2026, has been a COPUOS member since 1977 and is party to all five UN space treaties. TUA’s president was elected Chair of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) Council for 2026–27.