The organisation consisted of Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.

In 1961, Britain and France announced that they would be working together on a launcher that would be capable of sending a one-ton satellite into space.

This cooperation was later drafted into the Convention of the European Launcher Development Organisation, which Italy, Belgium, West Germany, the Netherlands and Australia would join.

The original intent of this organisation was to develop a space programme exclusively for Europe, excluding the UN or any outside country.

Following this decision, in 1969, many unsuccessful launches of Europa-1 and the resignation of Britain and Italy prompted a reconsideration of ideas.

[2] The Gove Down Range Guidance and Telemetry Station was built at Gulkula on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia in the 1960s, to track the downrange path of rockets launched from the RAAF Woomera Range Complex in South Australia, with its state-of-the-art technology operated by mainly Belgian scientists.

The satellite tracker was moved back up to the Gove Peninsula in September 2020 by the local historical society, after spending years in storage at Woomera.

[3] Overall, the European Launcher Development Organisation planned eleven launches, only ten of which actually occurred.

After this launch, ELDO began losing funds and members and was eventually phased into the ESRO to create the ESA.

[4] After F-10 was cancelled, it was decided that Woomera launch site was not suitable for putting satellites into geosynchronous orbit.

However, thanks to the static discharge from the fairings travelling down to the third stage sequencer and inertial navigation computer, they cause it to hang and malfunction; signalling the range safety officer to destroy it.

The launch of F12 was postponed whilst a project review was carried out, which led to the decision to abandon the Europa design.