European Space Policy Institute

The European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is an independent nonprofit think tank dedicated to space policy analysis, strategic research, and advisory services for European and international decision-makers, governmental institutions, intergovernmental organizations, and the space industry.

Founded in 2003 under an agreement between the Austrian government and the European Space Agency, ESPI operates with a mandate to provide objective, evidence-based analysis on space policy, governance, economics, and strategy. The Institute's research program covers a broad range of topics including European space industrial competitiveness, ESA and EU space program governance, space sustainability and debris mitigation policy, international space law, space for development, and the geopolitical dimensions of commercial new space activities. ESPI's publications — including its flagship ESPI Reports series, ESPI Briefs, and ESPI Perspectives — are regularly cited by ESA, the European Commission, and EU member state space agencies as reference material for policy formulation.

ESPI's advisory activities include organizing the annual ESPI Autumn Conference (a premier European space policy forum convening ministers, agency heads, and industry executives), conducting bespoke studies commissioned by ESA, the European Commission, and national space agencies, and facilitating structured policy dialogues between government and industry stakeholders on contentious topics such as European launch vehicle competitiveness, commercial satellite telecommunications regulation, and space traffic management.

In 2025, ESPI inaugurated a dedicated Centre for Space Sustainability and Resilience with support from Austria's Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology — reflecting growing European institutional concern about orbital congestion, responsible satellite deployment standards, and the long-term preservation of Earth orbit as a shared resource. The Centre conducts technical-policy research bridging ESA's Space Safety Programme, ITU Radio Regulations, and emerging commercial constellation operator practices.