ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

The European Space Agency aims to launch its own astronauts into space in a new proposal

It comes amid a series of proposals that the ESA will pursue in the future.

Alexandru MicubyAlexandru Micu
November 22, 2021
in News, Science, Space
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

The European Space Agency (ESA) is making its first tentative strides towards exploring space on its own.

Image credits ESA Brand Center.

A new document signed today by ministers from the ESA’s 22 member states outlines three urgent initiatives — dubbed “Accelerators” — and two mission proposals. The initiatives involve measures to tackle climate change, respond to natural disasters, and to protect spacecraft from orbital debris and space weather. The two missions aim to establish the ESA’s own system to launch astronauts into space and to probe Jupiter’s frozen moon Enceladus.

The document paves the way that ESA will follow in the following years, and will inform ministers about the agency’s plans at the next budget-setting meeting in November 2022.

The way forward

“In times of unprecedented challenges facing Europe and the world at large, it is the moment to contribute with bold, shared ambitions to solutions enabled by space,” write the ministers, who met in Matosinhos, Portugal.

The Matosinhos Manifesto signed after the meeting proposes three initiatives meant to “speed up the use of space to solve today’s biggest challenges,” but makes no specific funding pledges. These, the authors dubbed “Accelerators” in order to underscore their urgency.

The first initiative involves improving the ability of Earth-observing satellites in order to feed us more and higher-quality data that we can use to tackle the climate crisis. As part of this initiative, the document also proposes the creation of a “digital twin of our planet”: a simulated replica that can be used for modeling and in order to predict events such as floods, fires, or droughts years in advance. This digital twin would also be used in our efforts to eliminate worldwide greenhouse emissions by 2050.

The second Accelerator calls for more intensive use of space-collected data — such as imagery from satellites — in order to deal with natural disasters. Applications could range from monitoring to the coordination of rapid response units.

Third among these proposals include a series of new approaches that can be used to protect crewed and autonomous spacecraft from space junk and radiation or charged particles from the Sun.

RelatedPosts

There’s a million times more microplastic in the ocean than we thought
Tricked into a treat: excessive amount of black licorice can be dangerous, FDA warns
A major difference between DNA and RNA could explain why one is the go-to blueprint for life
The universe may be twice as old as we thought: a venerable 26.7 billion years

Apart from these three proposals, the document also lays out two general mission proposals. The first calls for Europe, through the ESA, to establish its own mechanism to launch astronauts into space. The second envisions sending an ESA probe to one of the moons of Jupiter or Saturn to return samples to Earth. The main goal of this mission would be to look for signs of alien life throughout our Solar System.

The ESA doesn’t have its own launching capability like NASA does, for example. Instead, ESA astronauts launch into space aboard rockets launched by the USA or Russia, at a cost. While developing a domestic launching system is definitely expensive, it would offer the ESA a huge degree of autonomy. Currently only the United States, Russia, and China have their own launching capability, with India possibly acquiring it soon, as well.

“It’s a political decision,” said Josef Aschbacher, the ESA Director General, “but does Europe want its own capability?”

Europe has made an attempt to develop such a system for itself back in 1987 using the Hermes spaceplane — a scaled-down version of NASA’s Shuttle — in conjunction with the Ariane 5 rocket. However, the project repeatedly went over budget, so the ESA settled on launching its crews using the Russian Space Agency’s Soyuz craft. ESA’s project was later canceled in 1992.

For now, however, the document remains a simple series of proposals. Whether they get the green light or not depends on the next budget-setting meeting.

ShareTweetShare
Alexandru Micu

Alexandru Micu

Stunningly charming pun connoisseur, I have been fascinated by the world around me since I first laid eyes on it. Always curious, I'm just having a little fun with some very serious science.

Related Posts

Future

China Resurrected an Abandoned Soviet ‘Sea Monster’ That’s Part Airplane, Part Hovercraft

byTibi Puiu
16 hours ago
great white shark
Animals

This Shark Expert Has Spent Decades Studying Attacks and Says We’ve Been Afraid for the Wrong Reasons

byJordan Strickler
18 hours ago
Agriculture

A Rocket Carried Cannabis Seeds and 166 Human Remains into Space But Their Capsule Never Made It Back

byTudor Tarita
19 hours ago
News

Ancient ‘Zombie’ Fungus Trapped in Amber Shows Mind Control Began in the Age of the Dinosaurs

byMihai Andrei
19 hours ago

Recent news

China Resurrected an Abandoned Soviet ‘Sea Monster’ That’s Part Airplane, Part Hovercraft

June 30, 2025
great white shark

This Shark Expert Has Spent Decades Studying Attacks and Says We’ve Been Afraid for the Wrong Reasons

June 30, 2025

A Rocket Carried Cannabis Seeds and 166 Human Remains into Space But Their Capsule Never Made It Back

June 30, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.