This is a comprehensive work on the European space sector. Written by an acknowledged expert and former space agency official, the work opens up a vital component of Europe's technostructure and the world's space programmes. Its mass of information will serve the insider as a handy reference while its themes and lively analysis will absorb the layperson and assist public judgement of European space efforts. The book first explores the Space Age's origins and Europe's response up to the 1970s. It then devotes its bulk to the scene of the 1990s by investigating the European Space Agency (ESA), Eutelsat, Arianespace, Eumetsat, ASTRA, national agencies and other bodies. How this scene works, what had been achieved, how space technology is made and used, and how policy is formed are main concerns, but of interest too are various crises, including Europe's man-in-space programme. The book identifies challenges for the space community, business and the EU, and how they may be met.