Josef Aschbacher

Josef Aschbacher became the ESA Director General on 1 March 2021. In 2023, his mandate as ESA DG was approved for a further period of four years as from 1 March 2025.Born in Austria, Josef studied at the University of Innsbruck, graduating with a Master degree and a PhD in natural sciences. He has had an accomplished international career in space, combining more than 35 years’ work experience at ESA, the European Commission, the Austrian Space Agency, the Asian Institute of Technology, and the University of Innsbruck.As CEO of ESA, Josef is responsible for the definition, implementation and development of Europe’s space infrastructure and activities. He is responsible for an annual budget of almost €8 billion and a workforce of 6000 distributed across several establishments, principally in Europe.