ESA Council weighs plan for Europe's path to orbit, the Moon and Mars
The 350th meeting of the ESA Council in Paris focused on Europe's exploration ambitions. Ministers are due to take the next step in Rome in December.
Archive image · Photo: ESA/P. Sebirot, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo (cropped and resized)
The European Space Agency is preparing a bigger step in space exploration. At the 350th meeting of the ESA Council in Paris on Oct. 21 and 22, member states discussed a proposal by Director General Josef Aschbacher titled "Europe's Future in Space Exploration". According to ESA, it sets out a scalable path covering low Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars, combining greater European autonomy with international cooperation in a financially sustainable way.
The next milestone is an intermediate ministerial meeting in Rome on Dec. 15. It is meant to allow preparatory work within existing budgets; decisions on programmes and funding will only be taken at the 2028 ministerial council. ESA is also calling for a clear division of responsibilities without duplication in negotiations on the next EU budget and an EU space law. On personnel, the Council appointed Andrzej Banasiak as Director of Commercialisation and Industry Partnership and Nicolaus Hanowski as Director of Space Operations, both from Jan. 1, 2027.