France is preparing to invest more than 9,000 million euros in the space sector over the next three years, an allocation that includes many of the credits already voted, Elisabeth Borne announced on Sunday at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Paris. “In total, France is preparing to invest more than 9,000 million euros in the space sector over the next three years, for research and our space industry,” declared the prime minister at the inauguration of the IAC, which until Thursday brings together several thousand representatives of the global space community.
These “big” investments are part of the space strategy defined by President Emmanuel Macron last February, he stressed. “The first strategy is to maintain our autonomy of access to space with Europe” and for this “we need strong means and cutting-edge research”, advocated Elisabeth Borne, detailing the ambitions of launchers (Ariane 6), industrial competitiveness, exploration, climate and defense.
“It’s fundamental”
The endowment includes credits for the space component of the France 2030 investment plan (1,500 million euros), those for the trajectory of the research programming law voted until 2030, “mass” media for the National Center for Space Studies (Cnes ) as well as those of the military programming law 2019-2025 (5,000 million euros). Also included is the forthcoming French contribution to the European Space Agency budget to be voted on at the November ministerial conference. France’s exact budget will be discussed this time, Matignon was told.
ESA intends to ask its 22 member states for some 18 billion euros to finance its programs over the next three years. “It is essential to have given this global framework,” Jean-Marc Astorg, director of strategy at Cnes, reacted to AFP. The envelope delivered by the executive “will allow the entire space ecosystem (Cnes, space industry and scientific community) to find the most effective way to commit credits at the end of the year,” he congratulated himself.
After her speech before thousands of delegates, the Prime Minister went to meet officials from the Cnes, headquarters of the IAC, as well as the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
Source: BFM TV
