The Ministers in charge of space within the 22 ESA Member States and Canada gather every three years to set the Agency’s strategy and policies. During these ESA Council meetings at Ministerial Level, decisions are taken on the main direction for the coming years and on the additional budget for the future. Ministers agree to start new programmes or eventually to bring them to an end. This time, the ‘space ministers’ will meet on 1–2 December in Lucerne, Switzerland.
The meeting this year will define ESA’ objectives based on the vision of a United Space in Europe in the era of Space 4.0.
United Space in Europe
European spirit, identity and cohesion are the overarching aspects for Europe to achieve the best of outcomes for its states and citizens in space and for a globally successful European space sector.
United Space in Europe describes the intensive cooperation of different European entities for the sake of a strengthening of Europe. With this strengthened European cooperation in space, this Ministerial Council will further ESA’s breadth and strength of action to cover its mandate as laid out in the ESA Convention through enhanced partnership with its Member States, with other institutional actors and with space actors worldwide.
Space 4.0
The conference takes place in the advent of the Space 4.0 era, a time when space is evolving from being the preserve of the governments of a few spacefaring nations to a situation in which there is the increased number of diverse space actors around the world, including the emergence of private companies, participation with academia, industry and citizens, digitalisation and global interaction.
Space 4.0 represents the evolution of the space sector into a new era, characterised by a new playing field. This era is unfolding through interaction between governments, private sector, society and politics. Space 4.0 is analogous to, and is intertwined with, Industry 4.0, which is considered as the unfolding fourth industrial revolution of manufacturing and services.
ESA will table proposals at the meeting to meet the common European goals for space in this exciting and challenging new era. The proposed global investment to be decided at the meeting amounts to about €11 billion.
Source and more information: www.esa.com
Zestee 