European space agency has big ambitions for 2025 but only a "modest budget"

Elon Musk's space ventures and Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House are poised to reshape space exploration. European players also want their seat at the table, but what can they do with a budget that is only one-third of NASA's?

“We are certainly prepared for any scenarios that might come to the table,” Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) Josef Aschbacher said.

“ESA and Europe will be ready to adjust, to find their own priorities, which are certainly linked to increasing our strength, our autonomy, and our capacities in space.”

ESA presented its key goals for 2025 during its annual press conference, with boosting Europe’s space economy and strengthening the continent’s autonomy listed as high priorities.

The agency has planned 40 missions for 2025, and is hoping to contribute to our planet’s protection through Earth observation and scientific discoveries.

ESA still has to answer NASA regarding Mars

ESA stated that the agency is currently actively engaged in discussions with NASA regarding the joint Mars Sample Return mission (MSR).

The NASA Perseverance rover has been gathering rocks and dust since it landed on Mars in February 2021 with a mission to return them to Earth.

The anticipated return date of the samples was shifted from 2031 to 2040 – a delay that NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized on Tuesday as "simply unacceptable."

ESA officials said they were preparing an official position that should be ready in the first quarter of this year.

Securing Europe’s access to space

One key focus area for the upcoming year is ramping up autonomous European access to space. This means actively increasing Europe's ability to launch satellites, primarily through developing its own launch vehicles and infrastructure, to reduce reliance on other countries for space.

To strengthen Europe's autonomy, ESA will continue testing its flagship rocket launcher Themis and the Prometheus engine to advance reusability.

Themis is ESA's first relaunchable rocket prototype. It will be powered by the reusable, methane-fuelled engine Prometheus.

To increase the continent’s autonomy, ESA is launching the GovSatCom satellite communication network for governmental actors this year.

Representatives said that ESA is also working on AI and quantum technologies that could impact future space exploration.

Reducing space debris

Boosting the space economy comes with the challenge of an increase in the number of space debris. Old satellites or parts of them could potentially cause threats not only to the machinery in orbit but also to life on Earth. ESA once again highlighted its position regarding reducing waste.

The Zero Debris Charter, introduced by ESA and drafted with 40 partners, aims to raise awareness and take action to reduce the amount of space garbage. So far, 12 countries have signed the charter.

ESA claims it is in talks with SpaceX to join the Zero Debris Charter as a potential signatory.

“It has not been signed yet, but ESA will continue to pursue it,” said Aschbacher.

A “modest budget”

Europe (11%) is third in the world in terms of the total amount invested in the space sector, after the US (64%) and China (12%). ESA has approved a preliminary budget of €7.7 billion for 2025, with a third of the budget going to Earth observation programs. France, Germany, and Italy are the biggest contributors.

ESA’s annual budget is just one-third of NASA’s budget. Aschbacher calls it a “modest budget,” but according to him, the agency provides comparably big results, pointing at record-breaking results in 2024.

“Europe has to catch up and accelerate in terms of investments in space. This is very obvious. If you ask me for an amount, this is a number that needs to be developed and discussed with the member states,” said the Director General.