The European Space Agency will develop a spacecraft to carry astronauts to the moon

The European Space Agency (ESA) is laying out proposals to develop spacecraft over the next decade that could take astronauts into orbit and to the moon, its director general, Josef Achbacher, told the Financial Times ahead of the FT Investing conference at the summit. space in London.

Achbacher said so Developing an independent triple launch capability is essential for Europe to catch up in the rapidly evolving global race to space. “What’s happening in the United States, China and India is impressive,” he said. If you take a step back and see where Europe is globally, you will see that Europe has not held itself to the same standard. I see a lot of opportunities, some of them missed.”

A recent independent report commissioned by the European Space Agency on human and robotic space exploration reveals that more than 100 lunar missions have been announced by 2030, by both national space agencies and private companies. “At the moment, only two of them are led by Europe,” he said.

The report indicated that Europe does not have an independent manned launch capability. And it relied on non-European partners to send people into space, “thus threatening its future as a credible player in space.”

currently, The European Space Agency acts as a junior partner to NASA on lunar exploration projects. “There is no agreed timetable for when a European astronaut will reach the moon,” said Achbacher. “But I hope we can get it done before the end of the decade.”

Ashbacher said the European Space Agency’s program to develop a spacecraft capable of carrying European astronauts into low-Earth orbit and beyond could improve the way Europe manages the acquisition of space. It was NASA’s decision in the early 2000s to purchase cargo transportation services from the private sector, rather than develop its own vehicles, that gave rise to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is now the launch provider. “This is exactly the model we stand for,” said Ashbacher.