Centre national d'études spatiales

The Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) is an independent agency of France that deals with space exploration and aeronautics. It is located in the center of Paris and are under the supervision of the French Ministries of Defense and Research.
It operates from the Toulouse Space Center and the Kourou Space Center, but also has payloads launched from space centers operated by other countries. The president of CNES is Philippe Baptiste. CNES is a member of the Institut au service du spatial, de ses applications et technologies. It is the largest and most important national organization of space in Europe.