Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is part of the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. The country has opted out of certain elements of the EU's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union and justice and home affairs issues. a 2022 referendum resulted in the removal of Denmark's 30-year opt-out on defense issues, now allowing Denmark to participate fully in the EU's Common Security and Defense Policy.

No formal space agency; the Ministry of Higher Education and Science has responsibility for coordinating Danish space activities managing international cooperation; the Danish Space Research Institute (Dansk Rumforskningsinstitut (DRKI) was the country’s space agency from 1966-2005; DTU Space, National Space Institute, is Denmark’s national space institute (2024)

Member of the European Space Agency (ESA); participates in ESA programs, particularly those linked to human spaceflight and satellite-based remote sensing activities, as well as technology programs involving telecommunications and navigation; independently builds and operates satellites, particularly with meteorological, science, technology, and signal/traffic monitoring capabilities; conducts research and development of technologies such as measurement and instrumentation systems, microwaves, remote sensing, electromagnetic systems, astrophysics, and geomagnetism; has relations with the space agencies and industries of Canada, India, Japan, and the US, in addition to the EU member states (2024)