FT learned about the threat to Europe's space programs due to dependence on NASA

Europe is too dependent on the technology and research programs of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), because of this, European space programs are under threat. This was announced on August 11 by the head of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, to the Financial Times (FT) newspaper.

"In some areas, we are too vulnerable in terms of dependence <...> on NASA," he told the publication.

Aschbacher clarified that most of the agency's budget (almost $7.7 billion) does not depend on decisions in Washington, but almost half of the €600 million allocated for research this year depends on NASA's spending plans. At the same time, the White House proposed curtailing several projects important to European space ambitions, including the Lunar Gateway, a space station designed to put the Moon into orbit, and part of the planned Artemis Moon program, a means of realizing many of Europe's lunar ambitions. U.S. participation in the ESA-led Rosalind Franklin Mars rover mission, which is scheduled to launch in 2028, is also under threat.

"NASA will always be an important partner for the EU, but the model of cooperation that we had in the past may not be effective in the future," Aschbacher added.

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Bakanov and Duffy will discuss the cross-flight program and the future of the International Space Station.

The FT reported on February 21 that the revision of NASA's Artemis project by the team of US President Donald Trump threatens Europe's plans to explore the moon. According to Daniel Neunschwander, head of ESA's Robotics and Manned Research department, the United States is Europe's most important partner in space exploration, but now "changes are taking place on the part of the United States."

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