SPACE INDEX COMPANIES INSIGHTS SECTORS PRODUCTS NEWS BLOG ANSWERS RESEARCH ABOUT FOR COMPANIES BUILD / 2026.06.03
European Space Agency logo European Space Agency Intergovernmental agency coordinating European space programs across science, Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications, and human spaceflight vs ISRO India's national space agency developing launch vehicles, satellites, and interplanetary missions for societal benefit ISRO logo
HEAD-TO-HEAD5 shared sectors
European Space Agency ISRO
Founded 1975 1969
Headquarters Paris, France Bengaluru, India
Type government government
Status operating operating
Employees 3,739 17,000
Total funding
Latest round
Sectors Planetary Exploration, Earth Observation & Remote Sensing, Launch Services, Navigation & Positioning, Satellite Communications Launch Services, Crew Systems & Life Support, Earth Observation & Remote Sensing, Navigation & Positioning, Planetary Exploration, Satellite Communications, Satellite Manufacturing
Products listed 8 11
Federal contracts
Launches
Leaders listed Josef Aschbacher, Dietmar Pilz, Toni Tolker-Nielsen V. Narayanan, S. Somanath, Vinod Joshi
News mentions 14 0
SHARED SECTORS
FREQUENTLY ASKED

How do European Space Agency and ISRO compare?

Both companies work in Planetary Exploration, Earth Observation & Remote Sensing, Launch Services, Navigation & Positioning, Satellite Communications. European Space Agency was founded in 1975 and ISRO in 1969.

Which is larger, European Space Agency or ISRO?

ISRO reports the larger workforce, with 17,000 employees versus 3,739.

Numbers refresh on every render against the live Space Index database. Federal contract data from USAspending.gov; launches from LaunchLibrary2.