Europe should win friends in the world by offering them seats on space missions, the head of its space agency has said, as he called on policymakers to expand the continent's spacefaring capabilities.
Josef Aschbacher said his dream would be to have a European-led mission with African, Asian and South American astronauts on board.
The European Space Agency currently has no independent manned launch capability, with only the US, Russia and China able to send astronauts into space.
However, space officials are lobbying for Europe to scale up its ambitions as part of a wider push for geopolitical clout after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A report recently handed to the ESA by a panel including a former Nato secretary general called for Europe to embrace “truly grand goals and narratives”, such as missions to the Moon.
Mr Aschbacher told a conference in Vienna that Europe should not merely “live with the crumbs” of a space industry tipped to be worth $1 trillion by 2040.
He urged policymakers to consider the benefits of spacecraft-based diplomacy at a time when Europe is eagerly trying to bring the Global South into the western fold.
“The dream would be that we build a European capability for humans … where a European astronaut is the commander of a capsule and has as his friends and colleagues a South American, an African, an Asian astronaut with him,” Mr Aschbacher said.
“The geopolitical dimension of this would of course be extremely important.”
Mr Aschbacher warned of a brain drain from Europe if competitors have more attractive space programmes.
India hopes to become the fourth country to send humans into space in 2024.
“Today as you know this is only possible with three nations – Russia, I don’t think is an option today; China, a very difficult option; and the United States,” Mr Aschbacher said.
“I am very happy about the excellent co-operation we have with Nasa. But if you think 10 years from today, I think we have to consider where Europe wants to be.
“Do we want to be among those spacefaring nations or do we want to book a ticket somewhere?”
Europe also faces what has been called a “launcher crisis” after missions to the International Space Station on Russian spacecraft became untenable.
The ESA currently relies on Elon Musk’s SpaceX for launches and next-generation rockets have suffered delays and failures.
Despite this, it has ambitions to land the first European astronaut on the Moon before 2030, a decade which could also see the US return to the lunar surface via the Artemis programme.
“Thinking big only works if you have a great goal. Getting to the moon is such a goal,” said Austria’s EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler, who told the summit she still harboured childhood dreams of travelling to space.
“Our ambition has to be for Europe to be a leader and a superpower in space, not only for economic or scientific reasons but also for geopolitical reasons.”
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
KLOPP%20AT%20LIVERPOOL
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Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
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THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
German intelligence warnings
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- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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New schools in Dubai
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
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- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
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- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
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