Macron Calls for European Crewed Spaceflight Within a Decade at Paris Summit

During an international space summit held at the Grand Palais in Paris on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Europe to establish its own crewed spaceflight capability within a decade, emphasizing the need for the continent to pursue its aspirations in human space exploration. He characterized the European space program as precarious, highlighting the necessity for increased efforts to bolster the sector. This statement followed European Space Agency chief Josef Aschbacher's appeal to officials in a private meeting on Wednesday, where he sought more resources for an independent European space industry and questioned whether Europe would be mere passengers or active pilots in space. The event was attended by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, whom Macron acknowledged, while notable US companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin were absent.