People have always had the need to survive. It started with simple things like being protected from weather conditions and wildlife. Everyday life began to change slowly and steadily. Today we see that people rely on technology and science to ensure their well-being. Developments in these areas are now expected. So when all the familiar sources are drying up, it is perfectly reasonable for people to go to the next step.
The major change is on April 12, 1961, with the first manned space mission, with astronaut Yuri Gagarin being the first man in space. Beyond that, exploratory missions for space exploration begin with the purpose of finding unknown sites and discovering ‘’space wonders’’. But what is it that space exploration does that is so important for life on earth?
Human space exploration is able to help address and perhaps even answer fundamental questions about our own place in the universe. After addressing those question we are given the opportunity to expand technology, manage and create new industries and most importantly help foster a peaceful connection with other nations.
EU’s Funding for space exploration
With a view to continuous technological and scientific breakthroughs as well as to the strengthening of relations between the different nations, more and more funding is given each year by the European Union, assisting space activities. This has led the European Union to be the leader in space research. Maintaining that position is important for EU.
In 2018 it was proposed by the Commission to raise the budget to the EU Space Programmes to 15.02 billion euros during the new 2021-2027 financial framework. The Members of the Parliament that voted for this, are convinced that this initiative will give the EU industry in the field of space activities, a great boost during the framework. It was also decided that this funding initiativewill include topics such as tackling cyber threats and support space diplomacy to the scope.
“Space-based services and applications are shaping the current and future well-being, safety and security of European citizens, as well as the competitiveness of its industrial base. It is, therefore, crucial to foster the Space economy so that all Member States, their citizens, and their industries, can fully reap the benefits of this Space Programme.
The new Space Programme bets on Europe and aims at strengthening its global leadership in the domains of Earth observation, navigation, and technological research. Although Europe is currently the second space power in the world, we need to foster ever-greater cooperation between the excellence in the various Member States if we want this to keep our leadership.
In an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment, investing in space must remain an institutional priority to preserve Europe’s competitiveness, sustainability and autonomy in this strategic domain in the future.” said Rapporteur Massimiliano Salini
How this 15B€ will be allocated?
Upon voting, it was agreed by the Members of Parliament that 9.7 billion euros will be allocated to the Galileo and EGNOS, which are the EU’s global and regional satellite navigation systems. 6 billion euros will be given to Copernicus, EUs Earth Observatory programme. Finally, 1.2 billion euros will be earmarked, in order to avoid any risks that might be linked to space debris through the Space and Situational Awareness programme (SSA) and also to provide completely safe communications through the Governmental SATELLITE Communications initiative (GOVSATCOM).
EU remains a leader in space activities funding
Over 231.000 people are employed in the EU’s space sector. This estimates their value close to 53-62 billion euros in 2017 alone. After agreeing to this new programme the Members of Parliament aim to continue investing in EU space activities throughout the entire period.
That will secure EU’s leadership in space activities as it will foster and promote innovative industries and support the competitiveness and the innovation of the European space industry. In particular SMEs and startups will also safeguard autonomous access to space and make governance foster technical progress much simpler.
The Members of Parliament also insist on changing the name of the current European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GNSS) to the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and allocate more tasks as well as more resources to it!
What are the next steps?
The proposal for the new funding for the EU Space Programme was approved by the European Parliament. The vote passed with broad majority and that shows the Member States’ alignment towards this important funding initiative
The European Union is ready to take the next step. Negotiations with EU member states will begin in order to ensure swift agreements on MFF-related files and avoid major setbacks. That will result in the programme launching in time, unlike previous attempts which ended in late adoption due to serious setbacks.
Putting things into perspective: the broad use of space technology into other industries.
Technology that has been developed for space missions can have broad implementation in other industries as well and affect our everyday life. From communications all the way to saving lives at sea and being able to monitor existing or upcoming natural disasters.
Space technology is an indispensable part for a large number of very important services that European citizens depends on. It can play a very important role in tackling crucial challenges such as climate change, border control and ,in general, keeping EU citizens safe.
EU countries know that they cannot reach full potential on their own. Working together is essential for the successful implementation of the European Space Programme. It is no accident after all that, through the collaboration of European Countries, one-third of all satellites in the world are manufactured in Europe, 29 of them currently in orbit and over 30 new satellites scheduled to launch in the next ten to fifteen years.
