Macron calls for European crewed spaceflights within 10 years

“Europe must be among the very first global players [in space], particularly in communications and AI,” he said at an international space summit in Paris.

“Europe must fly with its own crews,” he said. “We want Europe to assert its ambition in crewed spaceflight.”

Macron, who finishes his second and final term as president in May 2027, referred to a space mission scheduled for 2027 that will carry three European astronauts, including Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, to theInternational Space Station in partnership with American company Vast and the US space agency NASA.

'Shared governance of space'

“I want to see the first European cargo capsule, Nyx, dock with the International Space Station in two years,” Macron said. “In five years, the first European lunar lander, Argonaut, land on the surface of the Moon; and in 10 years, the first crewed European capsule launch from Kourou, carrying European astronauts as well as astronauts from other nations.”

Macron also called on telecommunications operators, satellite constellation companies and industrial groups to immediately establish a European Direct to Device alliance capable of providing a direct connection between satellites and mobile phones without the need for a terrestrial antenna by 2030.

“Within 10 years, Europeans should have 5G-comparable connectivity everywhere, with no areas lacking coverage,” Macron said. “This is a matter of sovereignty and economic opportunity.”

He acknowledged the weakness of Europe's space sector and said it needed to be strengthened.

“We need to accelerate,” Macron said. “We need to fully embrace European preference. It is neither a dirty word nor protectionism; it is a refusal to be naive.”

European industry

“To strengthen the industrial ecosystem, we must dedicate the entire European institutional market to it, without exception, and direct public procurement toward our own players,” Macron said.

Macron also called for shared governance of space, arguing that existing international rules were not adequate to meet current challenges.

“Clear-eyed thinking requires us to acknowledge that space is no longer a sanctuary,” he said. “Despite the 1967 treaty, outer space remains the only major global commons that is not subject to regulation commensurate with the challenges.”

He said a conference should be held to outline a clear roadmap for coordinating space traffic.

“France has a long-reaching and unique history when it comes to space,” Macron said. “Space policy was always built through cooperation here.”

(with newswires)