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ESA Council names Andrzej Banasiak and Nicolaus Hanowski as new directors

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The ESA Council has approved two new directors for the European Space Agency: Andrzej Banasiak for Commercialisation and Industry Partnership, and Nicolaus Hanowski for Space Operations, ESA said on 22 October 2026.

ESA Council: Europe seen by ESA's ERS satellite, the image ESA used with the announcement
Europe seen by ESA's ERS satellite, the image ESA used with the announcement Photo: ESA (ESA Standard Licence, editorial use with credit).

What the ESA Council decided

Member States approved the Director General’s proposals at the 350th ESA Council at delegate level, held on 21 and 22 October 2026 at ESA headquarters in Paris, France, according to the agency. Both appointees will take up duty on 1 January 2027. Andrzej Banasiak will be based at ESA’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) in Harwell, United Kingdom. Nicolaus Hanowski will be based at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, the centre from which ESA flies its missions. ESA also held a media information session linked to the Council meeting, according to its multimedia listings. ESA said Member States approved the proposals made by its Director General for both posts. The two directors will lead separate directorates, one focused on industry and business and the other on flying ESA’s missions.

Key Facts

  • Meeting: 350th ESA Council, Paris, 21-22 October 2026
  • Andrzej Banasiak (Poland): Director of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership, based at ECSAT, Harwell
  • Nicolaus Hanowski (Germany): Director of Space Operations, based at ESOC, Darmstadt
  • Start date for both: 1 January 2027

Andrzej Banasiak and commercialisation

Banasiak, a Polish national, has more than 25 years of international leadership experience in space, defence, aerospace and high technology, ESA said. 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 roles at Rheinmetall Electronics Hungary, Thales Alenia Space Polska, General Electric, Boeing and Schlumberger. His experience covers building and transforming technology businesses, developing the space industry, commercialisation, international partnerships and industrial growth across Europe. “Europe’s future in space will be shaped not only by what we invent, but by what we build together,” Banasiak said, adding that he looked forward to turning technological excellence into commercial success and stronger industrial capabilities.

Nicolaus Hanowski and space operations

Hanowski, a German national, also has more than 25 years in the space sector, ESA said. He has headed ESA’s Earth Observation Mission Management and Ground Segment Department since 2014. His career at ESA and at the German Space Agency at DLR has covered mission and satellite operations, programme management, ground segment design, digital transformation, space science and Earth observation. ESA said he brings strategic, managerial and technical expertise, including leading international teams and complex programmes. “I am proud to take on the leadership of ESA Space Operations, where missions come to life and European expertise and capabilities are continually taken to new frontiers,” Hanowski said. Space Operations runs ESA’s mission control and tracking stations, which keep its satellites and probes working once they are launched.

Why It Matters: The two posts shape how Europe turns space technology into business and how it runs its missions, at a time when ESA is pushing for a stronger European space industry.

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Source: ESA, 22 Oct 2026 · ESA: Media session, 350th Council

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