ESA approves two new directors for 2027

The European Space Agency Council has approved two new directors, with Andrzej Banasiak set to lead commercialisation and industry partnerships and Nicolaus Hanowski to oversee space operations from 1 January 2027.

ESA member states approved the director general’s proposals at the Council’s 350th meeting, held at delegate level on 21 and 22 October at the agency’s headquarters in Paris.

Banasiak, a Polish national, will be based at ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications in Harwell, England. He currently leads Safran Electronics & Defense in Poland and has held senior roles at companies including Rheinmetall, Thales Alenia Space, General Electric and Boeing, according to ESA.

Hanowski, a German national, will be based at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt. He has led ESA’s Earth Observation Mission Management and Ground Segment Department since 2014. His career has included roles at ESA and Germany’s space agency, DLR, covering satellite operations, programme management and Earth observation.