Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), said Poland is moving from a newer member of the agency to a mature player after 13 years in the system.
He said ongoing talks with the government, including Finance Minister Andrzej Domański, focus on the best ways for Poland to benefit from investments through the agency.
The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organization that coordinates Europe’s civil space programs.
Aschbacher said the agency is open to establishing an ESA facility in Poland, an idea Tusk floated in July.
He called the discussions early, but said he supports a center focused on security and defense. He added that the ESA would work with the government to define what such a facility would do.
Aschbacher welcomed Tusk’s plan to create a Satellite Operations Center, describing it as an important political signal.
A satellite operations center coordinates missions and data, and supports secure communications.
Aschbacher said he was happy to help Poland set up a satellite operations center, while noting the work is at a preliminary stage.
The ESA chief praised Poland’s decision to send astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski to the International Space Station, saying it drew strong interest from the public, especially young people.
Aschbacher said the mission can encourage top students to study and work in Poland and strengthen advanced industries.
He argued that Europe must raise its ambitions in space. He said the United States invests about six times more public money in space than Europe, and accounts for about 60 percent of global public spending in the sector.
He also said that European countries together make up more than 20 percent of the world’s GDP, yet contribute about 10 percent of public space investment.
He warned that without higher spending Europe risks losing talent and companies to the United States, the United Arab Emirates or Japan.
He pointed to the growing link between space and security. He cited intelligence, observation and reconnaissance satellites, and secure communications and navigation for both defense and civilian use.
He said space is already part of warfare, noting that Russia disrupted satellite communications on the eve of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
He warned that such actions are likely to intensify and that Europe must prepare.
The ESA’s Ministerial Council, which sets the agency’s budget and programs, will meet in Bremen, Germany, on November 26 and 27. Ministers from the agency’s 23 member states, associated members and Canada, a cooperating state, are expected to consider a package of projects worth about EUR 22 billion.
Aschbacher said investment choices at that meeting will be crucial for Europe’s security and economy in the years ahead.
Tusk announced on Sunday that Poland would establish a satellite operations center to support the country’s growing space industry and strengthen national security.
He described the planned center as one of the key needs of Poland’s space industry and a vital component of the nation’s broader security strategy.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP