Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), announced on Monday 11 July the launch of a high-level advisory group to consider the future of European space exploration, both robotic and human.
The aim of this group, announced at the Space Summit in Toulouse (see EUROPE 12959/34), is to undertake an “independent and objective” assessment of the “geopolitical, economic and societal” relevance of human and robotic space exploration for Europe, Mr Aschbacher said on Twitter.
The group consists of 13 members (8 men and 5 women). They include Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary General of NATO and former Prime Minister of Denmark, Cédric O, the former Secretary of State for Digital Affairs of France, Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education and former Italian Minister of Education, University and Research, Erling Kagge, an explorer who was the first person to reach the three ‘poles’ by foot (the North Pole, the South Pole and the Arctic), and François Schuiten, a best-selling comic book author.
The issue of manned space transportation will be addressed. The group is due to meet in September and November to inform the work of the ESA Council of Ministers in November. It will then meet again in January and issue a report in March in preparation for the Space Summit in the second half of 2023. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)