EU Agency for Space Programme (EUSPA) will harness the power of space to re-ignite its economy post-Coronavirus
The European Union (E.U.) today, i.e., Wednesday, June 23, 2021 officially launched EU Agency for Space Programme (EUSPA) to harness the power of space to re-ignite its economy post-Coronavirus (COVID-19), address climate change, transit to digitalization and secure its autonomy and sovereignty.
The Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) was signed between European Commission, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space and the European space Agency (ESA) with a budget € 14.88 billion.
While European Commission will serve as Project Manager and steer the wheel towards pressing societal, economic or environmental challenges, ESA will be responsible for the roll-out of new satellite technology and architecture of the systems that provide the services. EUSPA will ensure these challenges are addressed through the design and development of new space-based services.
Announcing the launch, the Commissioner for Internal Markets for E.U. – Thierry Breton tweeted,
Launching today the 15 billion € new 🇪🇺 Space Programme.
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) June 22, 2021
With the most important #EUspace budget ever, our ambition is to position Europe as THE hub of space entrepreneurship in the world 🚀https://t.co/fNpztMS8Qb pic.twitter.com/XWtRrLTCIX
He further tweeted,
With today’s signature of the Partnership Agreement (FFPA), we set the way we will work together at 🇪🇺 level: cooperation, trust & with ambition.
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) June 22, 2021
An integrated, efficient & modernised governance to face the global challenges ahead together with @ESA, @Euspa and DG @defis_eu pic.twitter.com/bKQG51HUvI
The E.U. wants space to work as an economic enabler with a positive spill over effect across various industries. The EUSPA aims to generate an even higher Return-On-Investment (ROI) through the creation of value-adding, safe and secure space-based services for the E.U. citizens, business and Governments. It will also create as many as 400,00 jobs across the bloc.
Speaking on the occasion, the Executive Director of EUSPA – Rodrigo da Costa said, “With the signature of the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement today we have confirmed the powerful scheme together with the EC and ESA and to keep the EU Space where it belongs: at the top.”
A robust E.U. Space Programme, secured from cyber threats and supported by a range of state-of-the-art ground centres and infrastructure ensures the Union’s autonomy and sovereignty. EUSPA will have oversight of everything the E.U. does as a bloc in orbit. It will have participation of all the 27 Member States and will run for a period of 6 years from 2021 to 2027.
Taking it to twitter, the official twitter handle of EUSPA tweeted,
✍️The signature of the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) today between, EUSPA, @defis_eu, and @esa, in Brussels, anchors the 🇪🇺 leadership in Space. 🚀
— 🇪🇺 EUSPA – EU Agency for the Space Programme (@EU4Space) June 22, 2021
💻Read more: https://t.co/do2GVNVpla
Sharing his thoughts, the Director-General of ESA tweeted,
The signing of the FFPA = a major achievement for @ESA, an Agency with a long-standing record of scientific excellence & technical expertise. Thank you to Commissioner @ThierryBreton for the trust given to ESA and for sharing in my ambition to level up space in Europe. pic.twitter.com/hAtAgVLLiH
— Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef) June 22, 2021
E.U. is really looking forward to EUSPA as it feels it is falling behind more fleet-of-foot entrepreneurs in the United states (U.S.) and China.
What’s important here is that United Kingdom (U.K.) is a part of European Space Agency (ESA), the technical adviser and industrial procurement agent of E.U. However, U.K. is not a member of E.U. which means it is also not a part of EUSPA.
Moreover, U.K. nations working at ESA, cannot be held back from working on E.U. funded projects provided the work relates to the most sensitive security aspects of those projects.
