ESA-China Relations in Space: An Archival Analysis of the Cooperation on the ERS Data

Drawing on the European Space Agency (ESA) documents held at the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU), the present paper tries to shed some light on ESA-China relations during the Nineties, specifically focusing on first contacts in the domain of Earth Observation through the dissemination in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) of ESA’s Earth Remote Sensing (ERS) data. First, it briefly introduces the ERS programme and the reasons behind the Chinese interest in accessing its data. Then, it analyses the process of negotiations that led Beijing to the signing of two agreements for receiving ERS data and the difficulties encountered during the scientific data application projects, especially concerning the reception, processing and timely delivery of appropriate data from the Beijing Remote Sensing Ground Station to the project teams. Finally, the legacy this cooperation has had for the future of ESA-China relations is also highlighted.