What we want

ESA: Priority on Tech Programs

Targets are set high, efforts are honest and sustainable. Nevertheless, both from internally and externally, the process of improvement is considered to be far too slow – despite the obvious will to change: ESA simply cannot achieve its targets autonomously, as it does not operate in a power vacuum. Final decisions are taken by the ministers of member states, who face the same problem time and again at their councils: the necessity to add ressources to large running projects without increasing budgets. The danger of cannibalization of less profiled project fields is the logical consequence.

And exactly here, these two programs come into focus which are indispensable to help SMEs sharpen their technological profiles and to finally discover and conquer new fields of commercial business: GSTP and ARTES. They are the most fertile fields to sow chances, develop opportunities and to finally harvest and secure yet another portion of future in the space business – not only for the SMEs. If politics decide to draw a simple red line here to preserve this priority on pushing technologies for all participants including SMEs, all the mechanisms ESA has installed to think small first will suddenly and powerfully, magically come into effect.