Funding or it didn’t happen: ESA members OK agency assessment of space surveillance, astronaut-launch programs

by Peter B. de Selding

PARIS — The 22 member governments of the European Space Agency (ESA) gave political endorsement for the agency to explore a full-scale European space traffic management network and development of a crewed European space-transport system.

the endorsement is cost-free. No money has been committed, nor was any expected at ESA’s Intermediate Ministerial Council, held Nov. 18-19 in Matosinhos, Portugal.

Instead, ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher’s goal was to begin a process of approvals that could gather sufficient momentum to secure . . .

To view the entire article, become a subscriber!

You may also like