About: space policy
EU lays out plans for secure satellite communications
The Commission on Tuesday adopted two new space-based initiatives, products of last year’s Action Plan on Synergies between civil, defence and space industries.
Space a ‘critical resource’ for green and digital transitions, Portuguese minister says
Portugal's minister for science, technology and higher education, Manuel Heitor, on Wednesday (14 January) described space as a "critical resource" in the EU green and digital transition and in promoting "a new future for Europeans".
EU to speed up space ambitions, Breton says
The European Union will plough more money into rocket launches, satellite communication and space exploration to preserve its often unsung successes in space and keep up with US and Chinese ambitions, its space chief said on Sunday (28 June).
Global Europe Brief: EU’s leverage in Libya
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Global Europe Brief, your weekly update on the EU in the global perspective from our foreign affairs news team: Georgi Gotev and Alexandra Brzozowski.
NATO braces for the new space age
NATO foreign ministers have formally recognised outer space as the fifth military frontier alongside air, land, sea and cyber on Wednesday (20 November), in response to growing concerns over protecting satellite and navigation assets from enemy interference.
First Arab astronaut to visit ISS urges climate protection on Earth
Wearing a blue space suit with a UAE flag on one sleeve and a spaceship on the other, the first Emirati astronaut said Tuesday his mission highlighted a crucial issue – climate change.
Macron announces launch of French space force
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday (13 July) said that France’s air force will set up a space command centre and be renamed the Air and Space force, to better protect outer space interests.
Europe has ambitious plans to explore the universe
Last spring marked 40 years since Czechoslovakian astronaut Vladimir Remek's flight to space and this year marks another anniversary. In November, the Czech Republic celebrated ten years since joining the European Space Agency (ESA). EURACTIV Czech Republic's media partner Aktuálně.cz reports.
Agricultural industry eyes space data
Data access has become a key issue for the agricultural sector, which could benefit from European space programmes. EURACTIV.fr reports.
Copernicus chief defends role of satellites in CAP’s ‘control’ system
The EU will launch a new satellite this week as part of the ‘Copernicus’ initiative. The earth observation programme has proved to be useful in dealing with natural disasters and its importance will grow to manage EU funds including the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020, director Philippe Brunet said.
Europe needs a flagship for outer space
There are few signs that the European Commission could change its 'business as usual' space strategy focusing on satellite services. Vidvuds Beldavs explains why the Commission should look to the Moon and raise its space ambitions.
More space for more Europe
2018 will be a crucial year to shape a stimulating new narrative for EU space policy. Jean-Loic Galle lists a couple of key points ahead of the 10th EU space policy conference taking place in Brussels on 23 and 24 January.
It’s high time Macron or Juncker gave a speech at ESA
Europe’s leaders need to set forth the threats to Europe that could come from failure to exercise space leadership. Vidvuds Beldavs suggests what Emmanuel Macron or Jean-Claude Juncker could say to take Europe to the forefront of space exploration.
EU mulls incentives for space technologies in farm controls
The European Commission is considering new proposals to encourage the use of technologies to monitor farm parcels receiving subsidies from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), an EU official told EURACTIV.com.
Jean-Yves Le Gall: ‘Mars is the pinnacle of exploration’
The European Space Agency has its sights set on the red planet. The only real barrier to a manned mission is the length of the journey, Jean-Yves Le Gall said in an interview with EURACTIV France.
EU-funded ‘Armageddon’ space mission hits funding snag
An EU-funded mission to smash a spacecraft into an asteroid moon to alter its trajectory, a possible dry-run for an exercise in saving the Earth from a possible doomsday scenario, has run into a cash crunch.
Europe’s navigation satellites suffer clock failure
The European Space Agency announced today (18 January) there were "failed" clocks onboard some of the 18 navigation satellites it has launched for Galileo, Europe's beleaguered rival to America's GPS.
Commission wants EU space strategy to boost growth in data-hungry private sector
The European Commission wants to step up European companies' role in the space industry by making it easier to access data from satellites, which the executive hopes will help increasingly data-dependent areas like car manufacturing and agriculture.
Joint European-Russia Mars mission gets funding boost
The second part of a delayed joint European-Russian mission to probe Mars for traces of life has received a crucial €77 million cash injection, the European Space Agency said Thursday (16 June).
European ministers approve new Ariane 6 rocket
European nations approved funding for a new Ariane 6 space rocket on Tuesday (2 December), pooling their resources in a single, simplified version to tackle growing international competition.
‘Galileo’ brand thrown out of orbit
The trademarks of the Galileo satellite system are under sustained legal challenge from a US headquartered company and the Commission is considering renaming the project’s commercial arms as a result, EURACTIV has learned.How can the EU respond to Kazakhstan’s starry ambition?
"When I was a small boy, Kazakhstan suddenly exploded into my and the world’s consciousness as the launch site for Yuri Gagarin's historic space flight. Nearly half a century later, the lift-off today of one of the largest ever commercial satellites from the same site is testament to independent Kazakhstan's continued desire to look upwards. A joint US and Russian venture, it will provide 4G communications for smartphone users in the West," writes Aleksander Kwasniewski, a former president of Poland.
Auditors slam EU over Galileo
The European Commission's leadership and management skills have been found wanting by a Court of Auditors report into the EU's much-delayed Galileo satellite navigation project. The report, published on 29 June, also blames individual countries for defending their commercial interests throughout the programme.