Europe needs ‘serious debate’ on space strategy, says Esa head

European Space Agency agenda calls for “fresh start” in relations with EU

The new head of the European Space Agency has called on Europe’s leaders to have a “serious debate” on the continent’s space strategy for the next 15 years, as he launched a vision for the agency’s work and priorities for the nearer term.

Josef Aschbacher, who has been in the post for a month after previously heading Esa’s Earth observation programmes, named the EU single market commissioner, Thierry Breton, as “one of the partners with whom I would like to lead this dialogue”. He said the debate should happen “ideally at the level of heads of state”.