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Europe Must Reaffirm Its Space Ambitions

By Louis Gallois

The US and Russia spend billions on their space programs, and China and India are following suit. Only Europe is in danger of being left behind. In a guest op-ed piece for SPIEGEL ONLINE, EADS CEO Louis Gallois argues that, 40 years after humanity first set foot on the moon, Europeans need a new vision.

Forty years ago, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. With that "small step," a grand vision bore fruit. Only eight years earlier, US President John F. Kennedy had declared before the US Congress that "it will not be one man going to the moon -- it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there."

At the time, Europe was barely involved in space flight. That has since changed radically. Today, our space industry is among the world's most powerful. Its applications facilitate our daily lives and provide invaluable information about how our environment is changing.

Over the last five years alone, this field has generated some 15,000 new jobs in Europe. In 2008, a total of 40,000 people were employed in the industry. A further 250,000 people work in associated areas.

After Ariane 4, the Ariane 5 launcher ensures Europe's autonomous access to space. This powerful tool recently put the world's largest communications satellite into space. Last year, Europe docked the Columbus space laboratory and the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to the International Space Station. In this regard, 2008 was a year of great successes. Europe's footprint in space had never been bigger.

Isn't that sufficient? No -- not if we want to continue playing a primary role in coming decades.

The gap is growing between European annual expenditure on space -- currently €6 billion ($8.5 billion) -- and that of the US, which spends eight times as much. What's more, Russia is also pumping billions into its space industry once again.

Other players are also emerging, notably in Asia. China plans a manned mission to the moon by 2030 and a manned mission to Mars by 2050. Beijing is already investing at least as much as Europe in space technology. In recent years, the Chinese have increased their investment in space exploration by 12 percent annually. In India, spending on space has increased by 25 percent. Brazil also wants to underpin its presence in space. In comparison, Europe's budget has remained more or less stable.

All around the world, manned spaceflight enjoys particular attention. In 2007, it represented a very large space budget item globally, totalling some $12 billion -- an 8 percent increase over 2006. Competition is increasing and space exploration has the same importance as it did 40 years ago.

To define its future place in space, Europe needs a new vision. That vision must be communicated through several objectives which aim to fortify Europe's strong position in space and the continent's economic competitiveness in a globalized world:

1) Europe needs Galileo. This navigation system will potentially create more than 100,000 jobs. It will open the door to a world of new possibilities and discoveries. But Europe has been slow in going for this goal. Others have shown more determination. Last year, the US decided to invest $10 billion into its third generation GPS. Russia is completing its Glonass system and China is launching Compass. Europe has to understand that Galileo is an opportunity it can not afford to miss. But that requires accelerating the pace of implementing the project.

2) We must ensure autonomous European access to space. A new Ariane 6 launcher is the solution. But for Ariane 6 to go into service between 2025 and 2030, Europe would have to start development on the project early next decade. The US, Russia and China have already invested heavily in launchers. To make Ariane 6 a reality, Europe needs to act quickly and determinedly.

3) Whether Europe wants to explore Mars or the moon, we need capsules that can safely bring back probes, equipment or even astronauts from space. The Advanced Re-entry Vehicle is the next step after ATV. The key technologies are available --we simply have to put them together. That is something we are capable of doing.

In my view, the central question regarding Europe's space ambitions involves the role we will attach to manned exploration. Do we have the courage to continue, in a joint endeavor with others, this greatest of adventures? Or will we allow others to overtake us and leave us behind?

Our united European efforts must remain true to our centuries-old ambition to expand human knowledge and overcome its limits. Manned spaceflight is the best evidence we can provide of our confidence in the future and our confidence in Europe.