ESA Approves Record Budget to Boost Europe’s Space Leadership

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Friday, November 28th, 2025

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BERLIN – The European Space Agency’s 23-member states have approved a historic budget of 22.1 billion euros for the agency’s next three-year cycle, marking the highest funding commitment in ESA history. The decision, announced Thursday at the end of a two-day ministerial meeting in Bremen, reflects Europe’s ambition to strengthen its role in global space exploration and advanced technologies.
The new allocation surpasses the previous record set in 2022, when nearly 17 billion euros were approved. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher noted that the final figure is unusually close to the agency’s initial proposal — a rare outcome in negotiations that often produce significant cuts.
Aschbacher said the record budget underscores the increasing strategic value of space technologies for scientific progress, security, environmental monitoring, and essential services used across Europe.
Germany will remain ESA’s largest contributor. German Space Minister Dorothee Baer confirmed that the country’s contribution will rise by 30 percent to 5.4 billion euros — or about 5.1 billion euros after adjusting for inflation. She said the decision sends a strong signal despite fiscal constraints at home.
“Space is an investment in our future,” Baer said, emphasizing that Europe must continue expanding its scientific capability, innovation capacity, and resilience as global competition in the space sector intensifies.