The three-day New Space Summit took place on October 23-25, 2024, in the organization Munich Aerospace Homepage – Munich Aerospace – New Horizons in Aviation and Space on FROM LAB TO ORBIT TO EARTH: TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER WITHIN NEW SPACE, with a presentation of the state of the European space program, shortcomings and advantages. More about Summit at Homepage – Munich New Space Summit. Participant of the panel was A3, represented by President Slobodan Danko Bosanac, in a discussion on the topicEurope’s Space Ambitions: A Dialogue on Our Competitive Edge.
The panellists, from left to right:
Slobodan Danko Bosanac (President Adriatic Aerospace Association), Jean-Marc Astorg (Strategy Director, CNES), Moderator: Hermann Ludwig Moeller (Director, European Space Policy Institute, ESPI),
Miriam Grigg (Deputy Director, International, Resilience and Regulation of the Space Directorate, DSIT UK) ,
René Puls (Board Member, ESA-ECSECO | Managing Director, PRORES Aerospace).
Recording of the discussion is at PANEL, and in written form A3 viewpoint regarding the situation in the European space program.
The Summit gave an overview of almost all space-related activities in Europe with an emphasis on private initiatives such as startups, small and medium-sized companies, as well as large conglomerates. The military sector, ESA as well as national agencies presented their activities and the difficulties they face in financing with public money, a brake on the realization of large projects that would make Europe a leader in space activities. It was concluded that the only stakeholder who can initiate grandiose projects is Europe as a community of nations and the executors of ESA, a private company of a scientific institution. National projects are important, but they can hardly be the engine of Europe. Large projects require large financial resources, but an additional pain is the large administration in allocating funds for projects. In addition to insufficient funding, there is also a lack of vision and motivation for large projects. Special attention was paid to the role of science in the development of the space program, especially emphasizing that the process from the publication of a scientific result to its application is much longer than in the USA and China. In this regard Startups, small and medium-sized companies are far more effective than large ones. In addition to the difficulties that exist in the European space program, the extremely positive side is the top creative staff that the education system of Europe produces, however, many of them go to the USA or work on projects directly funded by the USA. The dependence of the European space program on the US program is a brake on its development, while the connection with the Chinese program, or especially the Russian one, has been almost severed solely by political decisions. Major projects require worldwide cooperation, fragmenting major projects, such as the Moon project of the Chinese ILRS and the US Artermis, and then the EU equivalent, simply does not make sense. A convening role may come from the EU, which would give it a leadership role in space activities.
All these points were formally discussed in lectures, panels and personal contacts, they should be translated into action.
