11/01/2022 (Agence Europe) – The new CEO of the Centre for Space Studies (CNES), Philippe Baptiste, believes that Europe’s space ambitions could be achieved by acquiring an “autonomous capacity” for manned spaceflight, according to comments reported byAgence France Presse (AFP) on Tuesday 11 January. For him, manned flights are an “emblematic subject”, which makes “all citizens dream vividly”. The proof, according to him, is the general enthusiasm for the mission of the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. He mentioned that the European Space Summit (see EUROPE 12817/24), to be held next February, could be a “high point” for Europe’s space ambitions. The Director General of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, is also pushing for the establishment of a European manned spaceflight programme (see EUROPE 12837/5). (PH)