Following the ministerial-level meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA) Council in Berlin on December 5 and 6, Arianespace thanked the agency’s member-states and expressed its satisfaction with the decisions made at the meeting.
The resolutions and programs approved by Europe’s space ministers reflect a proactive determination to develop a joint, unified space policy. From this standpoint, the Council meeting was a very successful sign for the future.
The decisions reflected a clear commitment to expanding frontiers through both scientific and exploration programs that are worthy of current challenges. Programs under way include the Mars exploration mission ExoMars, the development of new applications for the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) program and new satellite telecommunications technologies. Arianespace, with a complete family of launchers spanning Ariane 5, Vega and Soyuz, should be a pivotal player in these programs for many years to come.
The meeting in Berlin expressed a commitment to an ambitious European space program based on unyielding solidarity among all member-states – an approach reflected in objectives assigned to the launcher sector. The ministerial-level decisions to favor ESA launchers to boost ESA satellites, along with a commitment to programs designed to consolidate the launchers operated by Arianespace, underscore Europe’s focus on bolstering a unified approach combining the space access policy and the use of the associated launchers, which guarantee European independence in this strategic sector.
Arianespace would like to thank ESA member-states for having set new milestones along the European road to space, and pledges to support guaranteed access to space for all of Europe.
