Effective date: March 18, 2026
Last updated: March 18, 2026
ESA Web Analytics Privacy Notice
The European Space Agency is subject to a Personal Data Protection framework composed of the following elements:
I. The Principles of Personal Data Protection adopted by ESA Council on 13 June 2017
II. The Rules of Procedure for the Data Protection Supervisory Authority adopted by ESA Council on 13 June 2017
III. The Policy on Personal Data Protection (including its Annex “Governance Scheme of the Agency’s Personal Data Protection”) adopted by Director General of ESA on 1 March 2022. Available here.
About cookies
A cookie is a small text file that a website may save on your device, for instance mobile device or computer, upon your visit to the website. Cookies may allow a website to recognise an individual’s device and store some information about the user. A cookie can be classified by its lifespan and the domain to which it belongs. By lifespan, a cookie is either a: (i) session cookie which is erased when the user closes the browser or; (ii) persistent cookie which remains on the user’s computer/device for a pre-defined period of time. As for the domain to which the cookie belongs, there are either:
● first-party cookies which are set by the web server of the visited page and share the same domain;
● third-party cookies stored by a different domain to the visited page’s domain. This can happen when the webpage references a file, such as JavaScript, located outside its domain.
You may refuse non-essential cookies or withdraw your consent at any time.
Types of cookies we use
Necessary
Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.
| Cookie Name | Source | First or Third Party Cookie | Session or Persistent Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA | youtube.com | third party | persistent | 6 months | YouTube sets this cookie to store the user’s cookie consent state for the current domain. |
| wpEmojiSettingsSupports | explorationscience.esa.int | first party | persistent | session | WordPress sets this cookie when a user interacts with emojis on a WordPress site. It helps determine if the user’s browser can display emojis properly. |
| cookieyes-consent | explorationscience.esa.int | first party | persistent | 1 year | CookieYes sets this cookie to remember users’ consent preferences so that their preferences are respected on subsequent visits to this site. It does not collect or store any personal information about the site visitors. |
Functional
Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.
| Cookie Name | Source | First or Third Party Cookie | Session or Persistent Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| __Secure-YEC | youtube.com | third party | persistent | past | YouTube sets this cookie to stores the user’s video player preferences using embedded YouTube video |
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | youtube.com | third party | persistent | 6 months | A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. |
| yt-remote-connected-devices | youtube.com | third party | persistent | Never Expires | YouTube sets this cookie to store the user’s video preferences using embedded YouTube videos. |
| yt-remote-device-id | youtube.com | third party | persistent | Never Expires | YouTube sets this cookie to store the user’s video preferences using embedded YouTube videos. |
| ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY | youtube.com | third party | persistent | Never Expires | The cookie ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY is used by YouTube to store the last search result entry that was clicked by the user. This information is used to improve the user experience by providing more relevant search results in the future. |
| yt-remote-session-name | youtube.com | third party | session | session | The yt-remote-session-name cookie is used by YouTube to store the user’s video player preferences using embedded YouTube video. |
| yt-remote-fast-check-period | youtube.com | third party | session | session | The yt-remote-fast-check-period cookie is used by YouTube to store the user’s video player preferences for embedded YouTube videos. |
| yt-remote-session-app | youtube.com | third party | session | session | The yt-remote-session-app cookie is used by YouTube to store user preferences and information about the interface of the embedded YouTube video player. |
| yt-remote-cast-available | youtube.com | third party | session | session | The yt-remote-cast-available cookie is used to store the user’s preferences regarding whether casting is available on their YouTube video player. |
| yt-remote-cast-installed | youtube.com | third party | session | session | The yt-remote-cast-installed cookie is used to store the user’s video player preferences using embedded YouTube video. |
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
| Cookie Name | Source | First or Third Party Cookie | Session or Persistent Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YSC | youtube.com | third party | session | session | YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages. |
| _pk_id | explorationscience.esa.int | first party | persistent | 13 months | Used by Matomo Analytics. Stores a unique visitor ID to recognise new and returning visitors. |
| _pk_ses | explorationscience.esa.int | first party | session | session | Used by Matomo Analytics. Temporarily stores data for the current visit and links actions performed during the session. |
| _pk_ref | explorationscience.esa.int | first party | persistent | 6 months | Used by Matomo Analytics. Stores attribution information, such as the referrer or campaign that brought the visitor to the website. |
| _pk_testcookie | explorationscience.esa.int | first party | expires immediately | expires immediately | Used by Matomo Analytics. Checks whether the visitor’s browser supports cookies. |
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.
| Cookie Name | Source | First or Third Party Cookie | Session or Persistent Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| __Secure-ROLLOUT_TOKEN | youtube.com | third party | persistent | 6 months | YouTube sets this cookie to manage feature rollout and experimentation. It helps Google control which new features or interface changes are shown to users as part of testing and staged rollouts, ensuring consistent experience for a given user during an experiment. |
| __Secure-YNID | youtube.com | third party | persistent | 6 months | YouTube cookie used to protect user security and prevent fraud, especially during the login process. |
How to withdraw your consent and/or delete a cookie?
Cookies Preferences: You can withdraw your consent for each cookie category (except strictly necessary or essential cookies) at any time by selecting your preferences in the “Cookie Preferences”. By using our Cookies Preferences and revoking your consent, the cookies therein described will be deleted.
Using Your Browser: All the cookies used on our website can be disabled through your browser. Different browsers offer various methods to block and delete cookies used by websites. You can adjust your browser settings to block or delete cookies. Below are links to support documents on how to manage and delete cookies in major web browsers.
Chrome: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050
Safari: https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/safari/sfri11471/mac
Internet Explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-delete-cookie-files-in-internet-explorer-bca9446f-d873-78de-77ba-d42645fa52fc
If you are using a different web browser, please refer to its official support documentation.
To disable cookies through your browser, follow your browser instructions (e.g. within the “Help,” “Tools” or “Edit” menus in your browser). Please note that blocking or deleting cookies may lead to reduced functionality of some features on the website.
Contact
ESA DPO: dpo@esa.int