Over the last five years alone, this field has generated some 15,000 new jobs in Europe. In 2008, a total of 40,000 people were employed in the industry. A further 250,000 people work in associated areas.
After Ariane 4, the Ariane 5 launcher ensures Europe's autonomous access to space. This powerful tool recently put the world's largest communications satellite into space. Last year, Europe docked the Columbus space laboratory and the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to the International Space Station. In this regard, 2008 was a year of great successes. Europe's footprint in space had never been bigger.
Isn't that sufficient? No -- not if we want to continue playing a primary role in coming decades.
The gap is growing between European annual expenditure on space -- currently €6 billion ($8.5 billion) -- and that of the US, which spends eight times as much. What's more, Russia is also pumping billions into its space industry once again.
Other players are also emerging, notably in Asia. China plans a manned mission to the moon by 2030 and a manned mission to Mars by 2050. Beijing is already investing at least as much as Europe in space technology. In recent years, the Chinese have increased their investment in space exploration by 12 percent annually. In India, spending on space has increased by 25 percent. Brazil also wants to underpin its presence in space. In comparison, Europe's budget has remained more or less stable.
Read Full Article »