European Space Agency secures funding for first military-civilian program

Member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) have agreed for the first time to finance a program explicitly designed to meet both military and civilian needs simultaneously.

The agency’s proposed European Space Resilience (ERS) project has secured nearly all the funding it requested.

The project aims to create a military-grade “system of systems” that integrates national space assets to provide secure surveillance, communication, and navigation capabilities, as well as Earth observation for climate purposes.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher stated that the agency, whose 1970s convention mandates it to develop technology for “peaceful purposes,” has received an “explicit defense and security mandate from its member states.”

Although the agreement constitutes only 5% of the ESA budget, Aschbacher noted that this step is “likely the beginning of more to come.”

This shift comes amid growing concerns over the increasingly assertive space activities of both China and Russia, while the war in Ukraine highlights the critical importance of space-based communication, navigation, and observation capabilities for national security.

The ERS proposal secured approximately €1.2 billion of the €1.35 billion it requested at the ministerial summit in Bremen.

It will seek an additional tranche of around €250 million from European defense ministries in February.

Aschbacher said this is the first explicitly military-grade capability developed by the ESA and was developed in close cooperation with the European Commission.

The ESA chief mentioned that elements of the program were oversubscribed, meaning the “mission definition is very clear.”

Following two years of discussions and two days of last-minute negotiations, ESA member states agreed in Bremen to increase the agency’s total budget to €22.1 billion, just €200 million short of the requested amount. This represents a 32% increase adjusted for inflation, or a 17% nominal increase.

Germany, which has separately committed to investing €35 billion in military space capabilities by 2030, expanded its leadership as the ESA’s largest funder. In return, it received a commitment that a German astronaut will be the first European to fly on NASA’s Artemis moon missions.

France maintained its position as the second-largest contributor, closely followed by Italy. Spain surpassed Britain to become the agency’s fourth-largest backer.

Aschbacher said the support from the 23 member states (including non-EU members like the UK), which met nearly 100% of the ESA’s budget request, was unprecedented.

The agency received strong backing for scientific missions, such as the search for extraterrestrial life, and for developing commercial rocket and cargo services to space.

Maxime Puteaux, director of the space consultancy Novaspace, said the agency phased its fundraising for the military-grade project, “buying time to secure the remaining funds.” He noted that while the funds raised at the summit guarantee the project can start next year, it remains “politically fragile.”

“The next year will be decisive in determining whether Europe can truly establish a sovereign, rapid-response intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance constellation,” Puteaux added.

Member states are also rushing to finance the ESA’s European launch vehicle project, designed to develop reusable micro and mini-rockets that could eventually replace Europe’s heavy-lift launcher, Ariane 6.

Member states committed more than double the requested amount, which was 20% of the total €4.39 billion transportation budget.

Aschbacher’s efforts to foster the development of competitive commercial space companies also found support, with member states agreeing to provide approximately €3.6 billion for programs that can be co-financed with industry.

The Rosalind Franklin mission, a key European endeavor to send a rover to Mars, is now scheduled to launch in 2028 after NASA confirmed this week it would fulfill its commitment to provide launch services and critical components.

The ESA also announced it would begin studies for a mission to Enceladus, an icy moon orbiting Saturn, which astrobiologists consider the most likely place to find evidence of life beyond Earth.