Even though some programme approvals are still pending, the European Space Agency (ESA) wrapped up its two day Ministerial meeting in Bremen, Germany, by announcing it had received commitments from its 27 member states which total €22.1 billion for the next three years.

The sum is the largest-ever with the ESA noting: “Confirmed support for key science, exploration and technology programmes alongside a significant increase in the budget of space applications – Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications. These three elements are also fundamental to the European Resilience from Space initiative, a joint response to critical space needs in security and resilience.”

“This is a great success for Europe, and a really important moment for our autonomy and leadership in science and innovation. I’m grateful for the hard work and careful thought that has gone into the delivery of the new subscriptions from the Member States, amounting to a 32 per cent increase, or 17 per cent increase if corrected for inflation, on ESA’s 2022 Ministerial Council,” commented ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. “In the face of a challenging geopolitical situation all the States contributing to the ESA budget, and indeed the European Commission, have put their faith in ESA to keep delivering programmes that will support European leadership in space, and help stretch our capabilities on Earth, in orbit, and into deep space. While we celebrated 50 years of achievements this year, the work is only beginning,”

This year’s Ministerial Council was the first stage of the implementation of ESA’s Strategy 2040, setting the course for European space ambitions and defining the objectives that must be met to achieve long-term goals for Europe’s activities in space and in applications on Earth.

The Member States have guaranteed an historic increase of 3.5 per cent per year beyond inflation that will enable some of the most imaginative missions in its history and bolster European scientific leadership. The first step will be to deliver the missions described by the Cosmic Vision long-term plan.

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