Launch of the EU Space Program

What has happened?

During the June 22, 2021 event to mark the official launch of the EU Space Program, a series of announcements were made and the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) (>1000 pages document)

Why this is important?

  • Space is increasingly perceived and recognized as helping vast portions of the economy, citizens in their daily lives and as a pillar for recovery 
  • The European space ecosystem must remain dynamic, innovative, coherent and focused given the growing global competition (for instance US space public spending is 5 to 7 times higher than in Europe and China is investing heavily) 
  • The EC and ESA have reached an agreement on “who does what”, including join teams working on join projects 
  • A discussion on whether Europe wants to become truly independent in terms of access to space and related capabilities (including human flights) is needed with a sense of urgency  

What is in it for you?

  • A “launcher alliance” involving governments and companies to develop the next generation of (full range) European launch vehicles is proposed (startups may play a role)
  • Contracts for the development of 20 and 28 new satellites for respectively Galileo and Copernicus programs, of breakthrough technologies and 16 launches in total will soon be signed 
  • Discussions on the development of a LEO and NEO secure, high speed & broadband space connectivity project, serving European and possibly African needs, are ongoing
  • Procurement tools will need to be adapted in light of the New Space paradigm
  • The 1€ billion space funds-of-funds will be set up “soon”; this may help leveraging private investments 
  • The EC space incubator network will soon become a reality
  • A large technology testing program to accelerate innovation will be developed
  • New Space approaches for the development of coastal areas are promoted, notably by Portugal
  • Members of the European Parliament are encouraging the development of stronger downstream applications & services strategy

Next steps

  • ESA and the EC will prepare a space summit in 2022 
  • The EC will likely respond to the call of the Council and adopt an innovation strategy for New Space, encompassing the whole value chain and access to finance