Europe decides to increase ESA’s budget by 17% compared to the last Ministerial meeting in 2019 [Nov/2022]
At the ESA Council at Ministerial level held in Paris on 22
and 23 November, government ministers representing ESA’s Member States, Associate
States and Cooperating States resolved the ESA budget for the upcoming three
years until the next Council at Ministerial level in 2025. Ministers confirmed
that Europe’s independent access to space is crucial to secure the benefits
that space brings to life on Earth – including climate change monitoring and
mitigation, secure communications and navigation under European control, and
rapid and resilient responses to crises.
· - Climate remains a high priority for ESA Member
States: €2.7 billion for ESA’s Earth observation programme;
- Science consolidates its world-leading role: €3.2
billion dedicated to the scientific programme, ESA is implementing the
missions from its Cosmic Vision programme while preparing the new space science
programme, Voyage 2050;
- Boost to the ESA exploration programme and
confirmation for the Rosalind Franklin rover: €2.7 billion for the next
phase of Terrae Novae, ESA’s new worlds space exploration programme
focussed on three destinations – low Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars;
- Bolstering connectivity, security and
sustainability from space: €1.9 billion was dedicated to improving life
on Earth through always-on-everywhere connectivity. Most of this will be
channelled through ESA’s programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications
Systems;
- Future navigation technologies get the green
light: The budget for navigation has risen to €351 million;
- Space safety to advance missions and
technologies: With a rise to €731 million, the space safety programme will
step up its efforts to protect Earth from hazards originating in space;
- Space transportation becomes stronger and more
environmentally sustainable: The ESA budget for space transportation has
risen to €2.8 billion;
- Scaling up European technology and fostering
commercialisation: The ESA budget for technology has increased to €542
million.
- Ministers have decided to start a new ESA
programme called ScaleUp for supporting space commercialisation and the
development of a new space ecosystem in Europe.
For a more in depth article about the outcomes of the Ministerial Council 2022, please click here.
For the full list of decisions from the ESA Council at the Ministerial level 2022 including exact funding from each Member State, please see the documents here: Resolution 1, Resolution 2, Resolution 4, Charts, Director General’s presentation.