The European Space Summit in Seville, which ended on Tuesday, November 7, saw agreement reached on ambitious objectives, notably around the use of space for climate and environmental preservation. It also answered two fundamental questions posed by the French president in Toulouse in 2022: What is Europe's ambition in terms of exploration? What is the future of Europe's Ariane and Vega launchers?
Europe is a space leader in Earth observation, with major programs such as Copernicus, which provides valuable satellite data for our environment. For decades, European satellites have been continuously scanning the Earth, and it's thanks to them that we can measure and understand changes in climate, our environment and biodiversity.
To provide a concrete response to climate change, the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales [CNES] has also created the Space for Climate Observatory. With 44 international partners, we cross-reference space data with in situ observations to produce analysis and simulation tools that enable populations to adapt locally to climate change.
We are putting in place simple solutions that enable us, for example, to assess water resources, monitor coastlines and control the risk of coastal flooding. In Seville, Europe made these issues a top political priority, enabling it to maintain its scientific, technical and industrial leadership.
Greater European autonomy
The European Union [EU] has also looked at the space race, and Europe's space project has overcome its contradictions and rivalries by reinventing itself at a key moment in its history. At a time when SpaceX is hammering away that its Starship will "make mankind a multi-planetary species," India, meanwhile, has successfully completed the lunar landing of Chandrayaan-3, while China has sent a crew of young astronauts to its space station. These sometimes excessive ambitions are a reminder of the geostrategic stakes inherent in space exploration. What role should Europe play in this race towards what could be a "new frontier"?
Seville marked an important first step towards strengthening Europe's autonomy in exploration. While maintaining strong cooperation with our American partners, Europe needs to catch up and assert its leadership in key segments, starting with control of low-Earth orbit.
We'll do this by mobilizing European manufacturers like ArianeGroup or Thales Alenia Space and start-ups like Space Cargo Unlimited or The Exploration Company, which design space capsules. By developing a proactive services purchasing policy, space agencies will help space exploration champions emerge.
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