by Michel Rose
PARIS, June 28 (Reuters) – The European Union will step up its investments in launchers, satellite communications and space exploration so as not to be overwhelmed by Chinese and American ambitions, said Sunday Thierry Breton.
“We are an autonomous space power. And we will not only remain so, but we will accelerate,” said Reuters, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, whose responsibilities also cover the space sector.
Over the past decades, the EU has sought to gain its own access to space, apart from the pioneers of the United States and Russia, and has developed programs with sometimes little-known success, such as the Ariane launcher and the Galileo satellite navigation.
But the emergence in the United States of SpaceX and its reusable rockets as well as China’s progress in the space field, including a first moon landing on the hidden side of the Moon, forced the EU to accelerate.
“SpaceX has redefined the standards of launchers, and that is why Ariane 6 is a necessary step, it is a step which is not an end in itself: we must now think of Ariane 7 and technological breakthroughs bring, “said Thierry Breton.
“What is very important is that everyone is aware that we have in Europe all the technologies and expertise to do this”.
For the first time in its history, the EU will sign a billion euro framework contract with Arianespace, including guaranteed orders to provide more visibility for the company. In exchange, Brussels will ask him to make an effort on innovation.
“Europe is autonomous with regard to its access to space and obviously will remain so. It is an essential element of our sovereignty”.
Galileo is today the centerpiece of this European space sovereignty.
PRES BUDGET DISCUSSIONS
While the project had raised doubts during its conception, certain member states, Great Britain at the head, fearing at the time a costly duplicate of the American GPS, it is today consensus.
And Thierry Breton does not want to stop there.
“I decided to speed up the implementation of second generation satellites, which will be the most modern in the world,” he explains.
The deployment of these new Galileo electric propulsion and communicating satellites will therefore take place at the end of 2024, compared to 2027 initially.
So that Europe continues to race at the top, Thierry Breton also wishes to make it a world center of innovation in the sector.
It proposes the creation of a European space fund of a billion euros capable of quickly investing in startups in the sector as well as a European space incubator coordinating all existing efforts.
Finally, it offers an innovative program allowing startups to access satellites and launchers for free, following a competition, to test their technologies in orbit.
All this will be possible if the 27, which are currently negotiating the next European budget, support the Commission’s proposal for a space budget of 16 billion euros.
“We are very close to the initial budget which had been presented by the previous committee. We still have a little effort to make, but we are working on it and I very much hope that we will get there.” (French version Benot Van Overstraeten, said by Gwnalle Barzic)
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