European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA), or European Space Council (ESC) in 2077, is the worlds largest and most advanced space faring organization. They control the lion's share of all space related activity. There has been a lot of stress and conflict over the ESAs power in orbit but this has been reduced a little by more joint projects with the Neo-SSR and JAB (Japanese Aerospace Bureau). The ESA is a product of the European Economic Community.

1990s
The ESA began its ventures into deep space in 1995, partnering with the Pan-African Alliance to construct a mass driver on Mount Kilimanjaro.

2000 - 2020
It sided with the Soviet Union during the First Orbit War of 2008, claiming victory over the United States of America after its colony of Tycho on the Moon dropped a two-ton rock on Colorado Springs and decapitated US military leadership.

In 2009, having discovered a Defense Intelligence Agency plot to take over the Crystal Palace, under construction at the time, a five-ton rock was dropped off the coast of Washington, D.C. as a warning. After the Crystal Palace's completion in 2011, another ESA venture had succeeded, reaching Mars with the help of the USSR, although the planet was shortly abandoned after. By 2013, the ESA was the world's largest and most advanced space faring organization, being an outgrowth of the European Economic Community, as well as USSR overtures. The organization had the most power and control of all space-related activity. By that time, there had been a lot of stress and conflict over the ESA's power in orbit, but the matter had been reduced by more joint projects the Neo-USSR and JAB (the Japanese Aerospace Bureau).

Despite some loss of its technological lead over the other space powers, especially the Japanese, the ESA continued on to further it's stability in orbit. The ESA also cooperated with various corporations who sought to expansion or the benefits of orbital manufacturing. Such corporations as Arasaka, IEC, Kiroshi, and Kendachi all maintained orbital stations with the help of the ESA.

By 2020, the agency had become very worried by the aggressive US stance in orbit tied the loss of their technological lead, becoming more interested in construction of military vessels, specifically gunships, to counter the possible threat from the US's military vessels.

2040s
By 2045, many ESA colonies had been lost to the Highriders, being battered over by the Fourth Corporate War.

2070s
In 2076, a Militech operatives team discovered that the Arasaka Corporation had been hiding the fact that they had a mass driver on the Moon. The ESA was still maintained that it was the only organization allowed to operate and own mass drivers, an edge they wanted to keep, because of this Militech tip off council to hurt Arasaka. The ESA called an immediate meeting to re-examine Arasaka's license in space affairs. A senior Arasaka counterintelligence operative in Night City ordered a cyberattack against the European Space Council during the voting session over whether to revoke Arasaka's license to bases in the Sea of Clouds on Luna. The resulting deaths of several council members delayed the vote.