ESA Council approves appointment of two new directors

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The European Space Agency Council has approved the appointment of two new directors: Andrzej Banasiak as Director of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership, and Nicolaus Hanowski as Director of Space Operations. Agency ESA Council approves appointment of two new directors 22/10/2026 188 views 2 likes ESA / About Us / Corporate news The European Space Agency Council has approved the appointment of two new directors: Andrzej Banasiak as Director of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership, and Nicolaus Hanowski as Director of Space Operations. The European Space Agency is a research and development company based in Paris.

ESA Member States approved the Director General’s proposals at the 350th ESA Council at delegate level taking place on 21–22 October 2026 at ESA Headquarters in Paris, France. He will be based at ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) in Harwell, United Kingdom.

A Polish national, Andrzej has more than 25 years of international leadership experience in the space, defence, aerospace and high-technology sectors. He currently serves as Safran Group’s Country Delegate in Poland and Managing Director for Safran Electronics & Defense in Poland.

He has previously held senior positions at Rheinmetall Electronics Hungary, Thales Alenia Space Polska, General Electric, Boeing and Schlumberger. His experience spans the development and transformation of technology businesses, space industry development, commercialisation, international partnerships and industrial growth across Europe. He will be based at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.