ESA expects a budget of €22 billion and is preparing a program for defense capabilities in space
Kyiv • UNN
The European Space Agency (ESA) has requested 22 billion euros for the next three years and will present a proposal for 1.35 billion euros for a new program to strengthen defense capabilities in space. This is the first time that the civilian organization ESA, founded in 1975, is moving into the military sector.
The European Space Agency (ESA), Europe's equivalent of NASA, is counting on 22 billion euros for the next three years from member states and will present a 1.35 billion euro proposal for a new program to strengthen and synchronize defense capabilities in space, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
Details
ESA will present a 1.35 billion euro proposal for a new program to strengthen and synchronize the continent's defense capabilities in space at a conference starting Wednesday in Bremen, Germany. This is the first time ESA, a civilian organization founded in 1975 that has avoided military projects, has moved into this sector.
Overall, the planned budget is 36% larger than the previous budget, as countries expand their military presence in space.
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As Europe commits to increasing defense spending in response to Russia's war in Ukraine and pressure from US President Donald Trump, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher has proposed a program called European Resilience from Space for member states to jointly use national space assets.
"The source of funding is changing," Aschbacher said in an interview. "Funding for space activities in the future will increasingly also come from defense ministries, whereas in the past, at least in Europe, it came predominantly from civilian ministries."
The ERS program will use projects such as Iris2 - a proposed EU alternative to Starlink, the low-Earth orbit satellite communication network owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX - as well as Galileo, a European navigation satellite system similar to the American Global Positioning System. The target users are the defense community, police forces, and civil protection agencies, the publication writes.
Getting larger countries to share their sovereign space assets will not be an easy task. Aschbacher said he has held discussions to explain how member states can benefit from the program and what the "rules of engagement" are.
"It is really important for Europe that we strengthen our independence and autonomy," he said. "This is certainly at the heart of my proposal to the ministers."
The proposal will be put to a vote by space program leaders from the UK, France, Italy, and other countries when they gather at the European Space Agency's ministerial council.
Following calls from member states to propose the ERS program, Aschbacher met with defense ministers across Europe to lobby for funding for the new program.
Addition
These initiatives by the ESA head come against the backdrop of NATO allies' commitments to increase their defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035 due to rising geopolitical tensions and growing security threats.