The European Space Agency (ESA) has just concluded a successful two-day meeting in Naples, Italy. Ministers from ESA's 20 member states and Canada have allocated over €10 billion for ESA's space activities and programmes in the years to come.
Ministers focused the investments on fields with high growth potential or with a direct and immediate impact on the economy, such as telecommunications and meteorology. They approved ESA’s level of resources for 2013-17, the proposals for the domain of Earth Observation and confirmed Europe’s commitment to the exploitation of the International Space Station (ISS).
Ministers secured investments for the detailed definition studies of the new launcher Ariane 6 (pictured below) and the continuation of the development of Ariane 5 ME adapted, with the goal to develop as many commonalities as possible between the two launchers. These activities are funded for two years, with a decision on the continuation of both launchers to be taken in 2014. The Ariane 5 ME will reduce launch costs by 20%. However, ESA now faces the challenge of even lower-cost private competitors, such as SpaceX and the Falcon 9 rocket.
Ministers gave the green light for Europe to provide the service module of NASA’s new Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle(MPCV) as an in-kind contribution for ISS operations for 2017–20. This decision is strategically important for Europe, as it will enable cooperation between ESA and NASA on the future human space transportation system. The MPCV could eventually be carried by the Space Launch System (SLS) taking astronauts to the Moon and Mars.
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| European Ministers Agree To Invest In Space To Boost Competitiveness And Growth 2012 |
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