French President Emmanuel Macron on September 10 called on Europe to develop its own manned space capabilities within a decade, as part of a broader effort to strengthen the continent's space sector.
The call was made at an international space summit held in Paris this week, AFP reported.
We want Europe to affirm its ambition in the field of manned spaceflight," Macron said. "Our European space program is still fragile and we must step up efforts.
The French leader gave a series of timelines that he wants Europe to achieve in the next decade.
In 2 years, I want to see the first European cargo hold named Nyx connected to the International Space Station. In 5 years, the first European lunar landing craft named Argonaut will land on the surface of the Moon," he said.
And in 10 years, the first manned spacecraft of Europe will take off from Kourou, carrying European astronauts and astronauts from other countries," he added, referring to the European launch site in French Guiana.
Mr. Macron's call followed the statement of European Space Agency (ESA) Director-General Josef Aschbacher, who last night asked ministers and senior officials in a closed-door meeting to allocate more resources to develop Europe's independent space sector.
In recent years, Europe has sought to increase independence in the space field but has never carried out any manned missions, instead relying on propellants and ship compartments of Russia and the United States.
