Europe Invests Billions in Space Tech

Concluding a meeting in the Hague, the 18-member states of the European Space Agency have agreed to a nearly $13-Billion dollar space exploration budget over the next three to five years with ministers noting that the investment in space would help European industry pull through the current economic downturn, according to the BBC.

The Europeans are planning to send new spacecraft through the solar system including ExoMars; contribute to the on-going operation of the International Space Station; and, create an Earth satellite system to monitor climate change. The ESA's Ariane 5 rocket will also be upgraded to boost larger spacecraft.

Longer term, the ESA is planning a human-rated spacecraft perhaps just prior to the end of the next decade.

The European Ministerial Council concluding press conference video at the ESA-member states gathering in The Hague is linked.