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The '''European Space Research Organisation''' ('''ESRO''') was an international organisation founded by 10 European nations with the intention of jointly pursuing scientific research in [[space]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY SPATIALE WELTRAUMORGANISATION EURPEENNE EUROPAISCHE REASEARCH ORGANISATION |url=https://www.blue-growth.org/Blue_Growth_Media_A_To_Z/European_Space_Agency.htm |access-date=2023-03-20 |website=www.blue-growth.org}}</ref> It was founded in 1964. As an organisation ESRO was based on a previously existing international scientific institution, [[CERN]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/759417|title=Intergovernmental Conference of Space Research|date=1960}}</ref> The ESRO convention, the organisations founding document outlines it as an entity exclusively devoted to scientific pursuits. This was the case for most of its lifetime but in the final years before the formation of ESA, the [[European Space Agency]], ESRO began a programme in the field of telecommunications. Consequently, ESA is not a mainly [[pure science]] focused entity but concentrates on telecommunications, earth observation and other application motivated activities. ESRO was merged with [[European Launcher Development Organisation|ELDO]] in 1975 to form the [[European Space Agency]].<ref name=unesco>[http://www.unesco.org/archives/sio/Eng/presentation_short.php?idOrg=1007 UNESCO Archive: European Space Agency] ''[[UNESCO]]''</ref><ref name=history-of-ESA /><ref>[https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4217/ch10.htm "SP-4217 Beyond the Ionosphere: Chapter 10 - Launching the European Telecommunications Satellite Program"] ''[[NASA]]''</ref><ref>[http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/About_ESA/SEM7VFEVL2F_0.html "A History of the European Space Agency"] ''European Space Agency''</ref><ref>[http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/About_ESA/SEM1METX88F_0.html "ELDO/ESRO/ESA:Chronology 1960-2007"] ''European Space Agency''</ref><ref>[http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/ESRO.html "Article about ESRO"] [[David Darling (astronomer)]] at ''www.daviddarling.info''</ref>
== Foundation ==
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