Self-funded, public institution under the government’s Ministry of Education, Research, Youth and Sport. ROSA coordinates and implements Romania’s national and international space activities. It also develops its own research and development projects. Founded in 1991, and headquartered in Bucharest, ROSA is the national representative in the cooperative agreements with international organizations, such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Since 1999 the Romanian government has indicated its intention to strengthen its relationship with the ESA.

ROSA’s space activities conducted thus far include the space shuttle Discovery (STS-133) transporting a Romanian Institute for Space Science experiment—designed to determine the effect of microgravity and cosmic radiation on the growth and survival of coloured fungi species—to the International Space Station and an ESA launch of its homegrown nanosatellite (Goliat) in 2011. On 21 December that same year, Romania became the nineteenth member of the European Space Agency, giving the nation access to all its programmes.