Last century, in the 1960s, two European space entities were created – ESRO (the European Space Research Organisation) and ELDO (the European Launcher Development Organisation) – that would later form the basis of ESA, the European Space Agency. ESA’s Convention was finalised in 1975. Since then, 22 European states have ratified this Convention, in so doing becoming committed member states of ESA. Through national ratification, the Convention, an international treaty, assumes the status of national law.
The Convention has remained unchanged until today and is a masterpiece crafted by scientists, lawyers and diplomats, defining the essential elements without going into unnecessary detail. For instance, Article X defines in just one sentence the organs of the Agency:
“The organs of the Agency shall be the Council, and the Director General assisted by a staff”.
The drafters of the Convention were very clever to set out some basic functioning principles concerning the financial rules (GDP-based, geo-return, mandatory and optional programmes), as well as focusing on indispensable content such as science, infrastructure and education.
Based on the unique position of ESA at that time as the only multinational space agency in Europe, the Convention defined the purpose of the Agency in broad terms, including:
- Elaborating and implementing a long-term European space policy;
- Elaborating and implementing space activities and programmes;
- Coordinating the European space programmes and national programmes;
Integrating the national programmes as completely as possible into the European space programme; - and Elaborating and implementing a European industrial policy.
All of this has led, since the very beginning, to an extremely well-developed European Space ecosystem across all fields. Europe today is recognised as a major space player, thanks to the commitment of Member States to the functioning of ESA as a common endeavour.
However, the overall landscape has changed and continues to change: more and more states have national space capabilities and the European Union, too, has developed its own space activities in accordance with the Lisbon Treaty.
The opportunity is the growth and added value of the space sector to society and economy, while avoiding additional bureaucracy and unnecessary duplications, as written in the ESA-EU Framework Agreement of 2004.
Institutional links (hubs) between ESA and the national entities responsible for space can help to ensure the coherent European space policy called for in the ESA Convention while still leaving room for diverse interests and capabilities.
The EU is currently in the process of discussing a regulation for its next “Multiannual Financial Framework”, MFF 2021-2027, which will enlarge the scope of the EU’s space activities. The question arises of whether in response to this development there must be changes to the ESA Convention or even to the whole organisation.
It is clear to me that Europe (and I mean Europe in the broadest sense) should, based on its experience of the last 50 years, use this evolving overall setup to adapt to the current paradigm shift in space in anticipation of future threats and opportunities. The expressions “competition as a driver” and “cooperation as an enabler” should be our guiding principles, especially with respect to organisational synergies.
The EU, for its part, sees the need to have its own entity to support the exploitation of space activities while ESA, as it stands, is a well-functioning space agency with its own specific rules.
Viewing the situation from a distance with a neutral eye, one arrives rapidly at the conclusion that a parallel universe of independent space agencies in Europe cannot be the answer to Europe being able to hold its own in the face of the increasingly fierce global competition.
A smart, evolving solution which combines the advantages, capabilities and opportunities of the different entities is a must politically if we are to be able to secure the efficient and effective European space activities the European taxpayer is entitled to expect.
50 years on from the first landing of a man on the Moon one can encapsulate these ideas in a few short words: it is a small step for the respective entities, but it would be a giant leap for Europe!
Discussion: 6 comments
That is something that the EU might need, a progression in the right direction, something bigger as ourselves. I hope you guys can expand to launch systems.
Portugal is very much committed in contributing to foster the European space landscape and promote its competitiveness at a global level, strengthening and contributing to continuously modernize the unique role of the European Space Agency, ESA.
In February 2018 the Portuguese Government has approved the strategy “Portugal Space 2030: a Research, Innovation and Growth Strategy for Portugal” aiming to actively contribute to an ambitious European Space Policy. It helps promoting diversification and new businesses opportunities in low altitude Earth Observation areas, data processing and related needs for mini- and micro-launchers and the democratization of the access to space.
In this context, the following main actions have been taken:
• Expansion and use of ground base infrastructures located in the Island of Santa Maria, Azores, for satellite monitoring and tracking, including a Tracking Station, EUMETSAT, and Galileu Sensor Stations and the installation of a new 15 meters antenna before March 2019;
• Boosting “new space industries” in the area of Earth Observation through the installation of the Atlantic International Research Centre (AIR Centre) as an international scientific institution oriented to foster north-south/south-north cooperation and new business opportunities in the Atlantic, with headquarters in the island of Terceira in Azores and research facilities in Portugal, Spain, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, Angola, Cabo Verde, among other countries.
• Conclusion and formal publication of the Portuguese Space Law;
• Conclusion of the 1st phase of Atlantic International Satellite Launch Programme (Atlantic ISLP) and launch of the “call for tenders” (2nd phase), as a joint initiative of the Government of Portugal and the Regional Government of the Azores, with the technical support of the European Space Agency (ESA);
• Development of “Go Portugal – Global Science and Technology Partnerships Portugal”, including: i) the expansion of the MIT-Portugal Program and the U T Austin-Portugal Program with a specific re-orientation for space research and innovation; ii) a formal agreement for a specific partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS, for micro satellite development, through the installation in Portugal of “STARlab” in close cooperation with business companies operating in Portugal.
• Conclusion of the preparatory studies for the installation of Portuguese Space Agency, “Portugal Space”, as joint initiative of the Government of Portugal and the Regional Government of the Azores, in close collaboration the European Space Agency (ESA), with headquarters in the Island of Santa Maria, Azores, and installations in Lisbon;
The operation of the Portuguese Space Agency, “Portugal Space”, should be promoted and stimulated in close international interaction, but under a special and strategic partnership with ESA, as well as other national agencies in EU member states.
In order to achieve this goal and to guarantee fostering the European space landscape and promoting its competitiveness at a global level, we strongly support the idea of developing “Portugal Space” as a “ESA-Hub” and in the form of an innovative “double-headed” agency.
in the U.S. NASA fulfills a role similar to ESA having a lead role in space exploration and space technology development particularly for technologies involving propulsion and unique instruments and apparatus required for space exploration. The Office of Space Commerce in the Dept. of Commerce executes some of the space functions that the Commission fulfills in Europe with NOAA and the office of Commercial Space Transportation in the FAA fulfilling other commercially oriented functions.
The Commission is responsible for articulating long term strategies driving economic development of the EU that include the digital single market, the energy union, industrial competitiveness, and research and innovation. Space technologies are a key driver of economic development enabling communications, navigation and earth observation with multi billion euro markets in each domain. The Commission generally does not create missions such as ESA’s Rosseta mission. Rather, the Commission fulfills functions such as navigation support via Galileo or research for European industrial leadership via H2020. As the digital single market advances, and as the Commission looks to space technology to assure effective monitoring of borders and coasts and improved weather forecasts and more precise agriculture space will have an increasingly important role for Commission led space activities in the functioning of the economy where ESA’s role will be modest.
Commission space oriented programs do not have a geographic return element which is central to the philosophy of Framework research rewarding excellence without consideration of geographic return. ESA funding from member states includes geographic return in part to make participation more politically acceptable. However, as space technologies become more important in globally competitive markets excellence becomes the overriding criterion. Leadership is rewarded and laggards can wind up with nothing. In such a competitive environment Commission investment in space R&D and commercial space activities are likely to exceed ESA investments in its mission-oriented R&D.
Within the EU cohesion funds address some of the concerns of regions with more modest performance.
Dear Mr Wörner,
thank you for taking your time writing this blog article. I also want to express my thanks for all the public outreach you are doing and I dream of the day some other national space agency leaders remember the importance of public outreach.
Concerning the matter at hand, the EU/ESA relationship, I want to say that I am definitely siding with the European Union. In my opinion, it cannot be the case, that individual countries like France define european space programs (e.g. Ariane), while other countries just can go along or step out. Of course, France is contributing something like 50% of the money to Ariane but France is just 13% of the population of the EU. The European spaceflight program should not be decided by those countries which contribute most of the money, but instead in a democratic way representing the population of the EU. The ESA ministerial council lacks a european spirit and is more like “my country first”. I therefore propose that the complete european spaceflight program should be defined by the EU and not by the ESA ministerial council. While the EU has also a council for national interests, this is counterbalanced by the European parliament and the EU commission.
Concerning the ESA convention, I want to say that no change is not necessarily a good step. Since the foundation of ESA, the EU did many big changes to its institutions and legal texts. The EU advanced, Europe is now closer than ever in many areas. In contrast to that, the stagnant situation at ESA seems to me like a thing of the past.
In my opinion ESA should be transformed into an agency of the European Union, where it would benefit from all the positive things the EU has brought to its citizens.
Greetings from Germany
Tobias Willerding
very nice and informative artical.
Hallo,
ich war letztens auf Ihren Vortag in einer Kirchen-Gemeinde in Arheilgen. Das war ein rund um gelungene Veranstaltung würde ich sagen
Gruß aus Kranichstein
Stefan Ziemann