A senior European Commission official assured MEPs on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), on Monday 21 March, that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and recent announcements that the Russian space agency Roscosmos will withdraw from the Guiana Space Centre will have only a “limited” impact on the continuation of Europe’s flagship space programmes.
Evi Papantoniou, Head of Unit for Space Policy in the Defence Industry and Space DG (DG DEFIS), repeated the statement of the Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton (see EUROPE 12900/13).
“Indeed, there are no critical dependencies on Russia, as we rely on EU supply chains for our critical technologies”, she explained, adding that the withdrawal therefore had no impact on the continuity of service of Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus.
However, she added that “while this unilateral decision by the Russian Space Agency can affect the launch of four Galileo satellites, which were planned to take place from Kourou in April and in autumn, this year we’re putting in place alternative solutions together with our service provider to launch”.
As far as Copernicus is concerned, the Russian decision also has no impact on the launch of Copernicus Sentinel satellites. The next launch of Copernicus Sentinel 1C is scheduled for 2023 with the Vega C launcher “as it was initially planned and will take place”.
Ms Papantoniou confirmed that the Copernicus programme was being mobilised in the context of the war in Ukraine in the field of civilian observation to support humanitarian aid operations. The Copernicus security services were activated in particular to ensure border surveillance and support for external action.
The future of Copernicus and concerns about finances
The debate with the MEPs then focused on the Copernicus programme, its future (see EUROPE 12893/23) and the question of its funding.
“Recently, concerns have been expressed about the financial sustainability of the programme. Indeed, the implementation of all the activities envisaged requires a budget greater than that currently available”, acknowledged Mauro Facchini, head of Earth observation at the European Commission, referring to the deficit caused by the UK’s exit from the European Union (see EUROPE 12845/5).
“Additional funding would therefore be welcome, although we are unable to confirm today if and when this will happen. Despite the situation, the Commission is working with ESA to implement a scheme that preserves the continuity, integrity and evolution of Copernicus while being flexible to any increase in the budget”, he said.
The development of the six missions and expansion activities will proceed at a normal pace until at least mid-2024. After this date, choices will have to be made according to the available budget, slowing down the development of certain projects, he explained. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)