Italy participated with an important institutional delegation at the ESA Council at ministerial level on 6 November in Seville. It was led by the Minister of Business and Made in Italy Adolfo Ursoaccompanied by the diplomatic advisor amb. Mario Cospito and by the president of ASI Theodore Valens. The Council meeting was held on the occasion of Space Summit Of Seville (6-7 November 2023). It took place under the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council and the German Presidency of the ESA Council.
Space Summit in Seville 2023, this is what it was about
The ESA Council aimed to set Europe’s space ambitions for the coming years regarding a green and sustainable future, access to space and space exploration. These are the three themes at the center of the European Space Agency’s vision, aimed at accelerating the use of space in Europe.
Space Summit 2023, news for ESA 2040 strategy
The DG of ESA Josef Aschbacher developed the new strategies for the agency “ESA 2040 strategy” in view of the preparation of the next Agency council at ministerial level in 2025 (CM25). It placed new emphasis on commercialization and balancing public-private participation.
The Council has, therefore, officially made the commitment to carry out space activities with attention to the sustainability of the Planet. Encouraging an acceleration of ESA’s potential to contribute to digitalisation, decarbonisation, climate action and sustainability. But not only that: he highlighted the need to cover the remaining funding for Copernicus.
The need to regain autonomous access to space through adequate investments in the current Ariane and Vega launch vehicles, strongly supported by France and Italy, was the most important theme at the center of the meeting. In particular, ESA has highlighted the need to look to the future, launching a challenge dedicated to new European players who want to enter the business.
The post-ISS theme was then highlighted, where commercial opportunities could also open up from 2030 onwards, when the scenario for the international space station could change, also in parallel with the program’s activities coming into full swing. ARTEMIS.
For this purpose, the DG was given a mandate to define new exploration strategies in the context of “ESA 2040 strategy” and prepare activities for a competitive development of a low-orbit cargo service, dedicated to the space station, with the higher objective of looking at the possibility of developing a shuttle to transport astronauts.