ESA Council Approves €10.3 billion for European Space Projects

European Ministers Ready ESA for a United Space in Europe in the era of Space 4.0

(Source: European Space Agency; issued Dec 02, 2016)

ESA today concluded a two-day Council meeting at ministerial level in Lucerne, Switzerland. Ministers in charge for space matters from ESA’s 22 member states plus Slovenia and Canada allocated €10.3 billion for space activities and programmes based on the vision of a United Space in Europe in the era of Space 4.0.

The high level of subscriptions demonstrates once more that ESA’s Member States consider space as a strategic and attractive investment with a particularly high socio-economic value.

It also underlines that ESA is THE European Space Agency capable of channeling their investment to respond effectively to regional, national and European needs by covering all elements of space: science, human spaceflight, exploration, launchers, telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, applications (combining space, airborne and terrestrial technology), operations and technologies; as well as responding to the needs and challenges of Europe and the Member States by bringing together all stakeholders.

Ministers confirmed the confidence that ESA can conceptualize, shape and organize the change in the European space sector and in ESA itself. While also acting as a global player, broker and mediator at the centre of international cooperation in space activities, in areas ranging from the far away in exploration (with the concept of a Moon Village for instance) to supporting closer to home the international global climate research effort following the Paris Agreement of 2o15.

At this summit, Ministers in charge of space matters have declared support for ESA’s Director General’s vision for Europe in space and the role and development of ESA: now the Space 4.0i era can start with ESA committing to inform, innovate, interact and inspire. And, building on commercialization, participation, digitalization, jobs and growth, the concept of “United Space in Europe” will soon become a reality.

The following Resolutions were adopted:
-- Towards Space 4.0 for a United Space in Europe,
-- Level of Resources for the Agency’s Mandatory Activities 2017-2021,
-- CSG (Guiana Space Centre) (2017-2021),
-- ESA Programmes

Additionally, a Resolution on setting up the “ESA Grand Challenge” was approved in regular Council on 30 November.

The Resolutions
are available on ESA’s website.

The sums allocated by Ministers to allow ESA to reach its future goals can be summarized as follows:
-- Maximise the integration of space into European society and economy
Amount: €2.5 billion
-- Foster a globally competitive European space sector
Amount: €1.4 billion
-- Ensure European autonomy in accessing and using space in a safe and secure environment
Amount: €1.8 billion
-- Foundation: excellence in space science and technology
Amount: €4.6 billion

The same amounts can also be seen spread in a more traditional approach by programme families.

The figures above include Member States' additional subscriptions to already-running optional programmes not tabled at the Ministerial.

Next Council at Ministerial Level
Ministers decided to hold the next Council at ministerial level during late 2019 in Spain under the Chairmanship of Luis de Guindos, Minister of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Slovenia is an Associate Member.

ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.

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Lucerne Ministerial Conference: Success of Spacefaring Europe Assured!

(Source: French National Space Center; issued Dec 02, 2016)

PARIS --- The ministerial conference of the European Space Agency (ESA) was held in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 December. France, represented by Thierry Mandon, Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research, convinced the other member states to sign up to the ambitious programme proposed by ESA in order to maintain Europe’s leading role in space exploration.

In recent years, ministerial council meetings have been held with increasing frequency in response to the new challenges facing the space sector in these rapidly changing times. The latest meeting in Lucerne comes after those in Naples in 2012 and Luxembourg in 2014. France worked to achieve the broadest possible consensus on the key priorities for spacefaring Europe, while enabling its industry to stay competitive in the international arena.

First, with access to space: the go-ahead for development of Ariane 6 had already been confirmed on 3 November ahead of the Lucerne council meeting. As for support for European launcher operations, member states reaffirmed that the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) will continue to serve as Europe’s spaceport and agreed to cover its fixed costs. Preparation for the future beyond Ariane 6 and Vega C will be assured with the development of the Prometheus low-cost oxygen-methane engine.

Second, the ExoMars programme will be pursued with additional funding for ExoMars 2020, while ESA’s mandatory science programme, which has produced Europe’s greatest accomplishments in advancing world science (Herschel-Planck, Rosetta-Philae, etc.), will be funded as requested. With ExoMars 2020, Europe is set to land a rover on Mars carrying first-of-a-kind science experiments with the aim of detecting traces of life.

Europe’s participation in operating the International Space Station has also been extended through to 2024. This decision shows Europe’s attachment as partners of the United States, Russia, Japan and Canada to international human exploration of the solar system, with French astronaut Thomas Pesquet currently on a six-month mission to the station.

Lastly, innovation, development of applications and the competitiveness of the space industry also received significant funding to prepare for the future, notably for space telecommunications through the ARTES budget lines and Earth observation through the EOEP envelope programme, as well as for climate-monitoring satellites, new generations of Sentinel satellites for the Copernicus programme, cutting-edge technologies, new applications and new uses of space.

After the conference, Thierry Mandon, Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research, commented: “Through its involvement in all of these programmes and its ability to federate European efforts, France has confirmed its role as ESA’s leading contributor and helped maintain a world-class space programme for Europe. I would especially like to thank CNES for its decisive role in the positive outcomes of this conference. Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, the success of spacefaring Europe is assured!”

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Europe Takes Off for Space: Airbus Defence and Space applauds ESA’s decisions to further develop Europe in space

(Source: Airbus Defence and Space; issued Dec 02, 2016)

“Europe’s ambitions in space have received another boost today and we applaud ESA’s decisions to furtjer develop Europe in space. European citizens will benefit greatly from our new innovative solutions,” said Nicolas Chamussy, Head of Space Systems, on decisions by ministers from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) 22 member states.

At their meeting on 1-2 December in Lucerne, Switzerland, the ESA Ministerial Council committed to invest a total of € 10.3 billion in space activities for the next couple of years to ensure that Europe remains a strong, independent and competitive player in the space sector. Airbus shares ESA’s objectives based on the vision of a ‘United Space in Europe’.

Following successes and agreements on the Ariane 6 programme, Airbus Defence and Space is particularly pleased by the ESA space ministers’ commitment to manned space activities, notably their green light for ESA to start working on a second European Service Module for the Orion exploration programme.

This European contribution will provide the future US-manned capsules Orion with power and propulsion. Airbus is already prime contractor of the first European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft. The first un-crewed mission, Exploration Mission-1, will be launched in 2018, followed by the first crewed mission to be launched in 2021.

Airbus is also encouraged by ESA’s commitment to pursue a variety of science missions like the ExoMars programme with Russia, which includes a European-built rover to explore the surface of Mars.

With these ESA Ministerial Council commitments, Airbus Defence and Space can continue to develop and launch missions like JUICE to Jupiter, BepiColombo to Mercury, Solar Orbiter and CHEOPS to explore exoplanets along with the NASA-led James Webb Space Telescope that will replace Hubble in 2018.

ESA’s decision to keep investing in Telecommunication technologies with more than a billion-euro series of developments in partnership with European industry for multiple satellite and ground station partnerships will benefit citizens on a daily basis.

Equally the robust commitment to fund ESA’s Earth Observation Envelope Programme which will develop, launch and operate several missions in the coming years like BioMass and FLEX, and already prepare EU’s Copernicus second generation especially for measuring the dangerous greenhouse gas CO2. All these missions will provide invaluable data for monitoring climate change and help future policy decisions within Europe.

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