European Launcher Development Organisation

Description

The European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) was an intergovernmental organization established in 1962 by European countries to develop launch vehicles for space exploration. ELDO's primary goal was to create an independent European launch capability to reduce reliance on American and Soviet launch vehicles. The organization's main project was the Europa rocket, intended to launch satellites into orbit. However, ELDO faced technical challenges and funding issues, leading to delays and setbacks in the development of the Europa rocket. In 1974, ELDO merged with the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) to form the European Space Agency (ESA), consolidating European efforts in space exploration and launching the Ariane program, which eventually became a highly successful series of European launch vehicles.