Europe needs to invest more in space for independence from the US - ESA Director General
Kyiv • UNN
ESA Director General calls for increased investment in space to ensure Europe's independence from the United States. This is due to the unstable geopolitical situation and potential changes in US policy.
Europe needs to increase investment in space to ensure independence from the US, said the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, in an interview with The Guardian, writes UNN.
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According to the publication, Donald Trump's return to the White House has prompted European political leaders to move away from ties with America and a rapid increase in defense spending, as the continent's security reaches a "turning point."
Europe's desire for greater autonomy means that it must also increase its investment in space technology, according to Josef Aschbacher, Director General of ESA, the intergovernmental body tasked with overseeing the ambitions of European countries, including much of the EU and the United Kingdom, in the field.
There are many areas in space that are seen as areas where Europe will want to increase its autonomy, and it is clear that in a more unstable geopolitical situation, there is a need for greater autonomy. The situation is changing radically
People are looking to the skies more than ever. The world is in the midst of a second space race, in which governments, as well as private companies, are taking advantage of the huge advances in satellites, sensors and, most importantly, rockets. Analysts talk about a $1 trillion industry, the scale of which would match today's air transport sector, with an expected boom in Earth observation, communications and even tourism. Trump's induced increase in military spending may provide an additional impetus, as the armed forces compete for the best spy equipment, the publication points out.
However, Aschbacher's role as head of ESA is also to advocate for continued investment in science for the benefit of humanity, including projects such as measuring wind speed with lasers, climate monitoring satellites and the Euclid telescope, designed to study the mysteries of dark matter.
For European space science, close cooperation with the US has been vital for decades. ESA is working with American counterparts on projects covering a wide range: from sending astronauts to the International Space Station to the James Webb Telescope, which studies the radiation of galaxies billions of years ago, and the Artemis program to return humans to the Moon. Aschbacher, an Austrian, oversees a budget of €7.7 billion this year, a large sum, but it pales in comparison to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) budget of $25.4 billion. Trump's return has raised questions about whether this cooperation will continue, as the US introduces sharp cuts for NASA.
Elon Musk adds another layer of complexity. His SpaceX has already, perhaps, made the biggest contribution to the revolutionary reduction in launch costs thanks to its reusable Falcon 9 rockets. However, the billionaire's highly controversial mandate to cut costs under Trump means that he is likely to have a significant impact on US space policy, despite the obvious risk of a conflict of interest as a key NASA contractor. Trump's chosen NASA administrator, billionaire Jared Isaacman, paid SpaceX to take him to space. Musk has criticised Artemis, preferring his ambitions to send humans to Mars.
European countries are also rushing to wean themselves off SpaceX's Starlink, a network of Internet satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Starlink has built the largest LEO constellation to date, providing reliable Internet access in remote locations and becoming an integral part of Ukraine's military communications following Russia's invasion in 2022.
Asked about Musk's influence, Aschbacher declined to comment on "the internal politics of the United States and who should influence these decisions."
ESA is continuing its part of the planned work, building the Orion capsule to transport astronauts, Aschbacher said, adding that he is "confident that the US will continue to cooperate with Europe on the Artemis program," including in the creation of a "lunar gateway" in lunar orbit.
"If there are changes and if our American partners and friends change their plans, of course, we will be ready for plan B," Aschbacher said. "And, of course, we will strengthen our autonomy and our capabilities as a result. But today is not the time to talk about plan B, because plan A is already being implemented."
However, ESA is also considering working with other countries that could be part of Plan B. Aschbacher highlighted Australia, the United Arab Emirates and India as promising partners for Europe.
SpaceX last month reaffirmed its dominant position when its Dragon capsule returned four people, two of whom were stuck on the International Space Station due to technical problems on rival Boeing's Starliner.
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Europe has remained dependent on SpaceX to launch part of its Galileo satellite navigation system after the decommissioning of the Ariane 5 rocket and the suspension of Vega C, both operated by Arianespace, co-owned by aerospace manufacturers Airbus and Safran. This became a "launch crisis" that was only ended by the first flight of Arianespace's Ariane 6 rocket last year.
ESA is now seeking to push more next-generation launch competitors, with a focus on reusable rockets to emulate SpaceX's cost reductions. One of ESA's projects, the Prometheus engine, is due to be launched "in less than a few" years, Aschbacher said. Other European private sector players, such as German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg, are also in the race.
If all goes according to plan, they will also be able to launch from the UK, ending reliance on ESA's spaceport in French Guiana in South America. Aschbacher said the development of British spaceports, especially one in the Shetland Islands, would be another long-awaited event. ESA, which is funded by 23 member states but is not an EU organisation, means that Brexit has not prevented the UK's participation, although its part in the Copernicus climate satellite programme has been interrupted.
ESA's role is to peacefully explore space, but the obvious military applications may make it easier for the agency to secure more funding from the governments of its member countries in November, as they rush to rearm and fill the gap left by the US, the publication writes.
Nevertheless, Aschbacher is a scientist. While he acknowledged that space technologies "will play a key role in delivering many of these security requirements" for European governments, he also called for continued investment in science.
He compared space investment to investment in basic research that allowed scientists to develop vaccines against COVID with impressive speed during the pandemic.
"Investment in space in Europe needs to increase to ensure that Europe can maintain its quality of life and standard of living for its people," he said. "Science is such a strong side of Europe. In fact, it is the reason why economic progress and economic development can happen or are happening faster."