Jean-Jacques Dordain

Jean-Jacques Dordain (born 1946) is a French scientist specialising in aerospace. He was director general of the European Space Agency between 2003 and 2015.

Early life and education Jean-Jacques Dordain was born in Lille, northern France, in 1946.

In 1998 he was executive secretary at the Japanese Space Agency (then NASDA, now JAXA) and later started as director of launchers at ESA, where he became Director General in July 2003.

On 1 July 2015, he was succeeded as director general of the ESA by Johann-Dietrich Woerner of Germany.

, Dordain heads the board of the Karman Project, a global fellowship program for space industry leaders headquartered in Berlin.

Recognition In 2019, Dordain was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to complex space systems and leadership of space exploration programs worldwide.