Space summit in Bremen: Europe is planning a record budget of 22 billion euros!

Space summit in Bremen: Europe is planning a record budget of 22 billion euros!

A groundbreaking decision was made in Bremen: On November 26th and 27th, 2025, the ESA Council of Ministers met to decide on the future budget of the European Space Agency. Under the leadership of Josef Aschbacher, the head of ESA, important issues such as competitiveness, autonomy and safety were addressed. It wasn't just about numbers, but about the question of how Europe can get back into the global space race. Because as Aschbacher emphasizes: “Europe urgently needs to catch up, otherwise there is a risk of falling behind in space travel.” tagesschau.de reports.

The discussions revolved around a record budget of up to 22 billion euros for the next three years. At the last meeting in Paris in 2022, the amount was still 16.9 billion euros. Not only does this show the growing need, geopolitical developments, such as the Ukraine conflict, have also increased pressure on the ESA to become more independent. Europe has relied heavily in the past on Russian Soyuz rockets, which are no longer in use due to the conflict, reinforcing the need for its own ability to act. Südkurier highlights that the ministers emphasized the need for a German “space security strategy” to take into account security policy aspects in space travel.

The German share and regional investments

Germany is the largest contributor to ESA, contributing around 21% of the total budget. This number illustrates the central role that Germany plays in European space travel. Chancellor Dorothee Bär had already announced that Germany wanted to contribute around five billion euros to the ESA budget in the future. The federal states of Bremen, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg have also formulated concrete plans and wishes. In Bremen, for example, a propulsion and supply module for NASA's Orion lunar spacecraft is being built by Airbus, while Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg have strong industrial capacities in the field of space technology tagesschau.de highlights.

The conference attracts around 500 participants from the 23 ESA member states, including ministers and representatives of national space agencies. These delegations bring their own project and financing proposals that are important not only for space travel, but also for strategic positioning vis-à-vis private rocket builders and satellite operators such as SpaceX. Südkurier added that a common financial wish list has already been formulated, which calls for a total of six billion euros for satellite technology and launch systems.

Military dimensions in space travel

Another aspect that came up in the negotiations is the increasing entry of defense companies into the space sector. Historically, the focus in Europe has been on civilian use, while military capabilities are becoming increasingly important. An analysis by the European Space Policy Institute in Vienna shows that only 15% of public space budgets in Europe go to military activities, while the global average is around 50% Euronews reports.

In order to remain competitive, Europe calls for a pooling of resources and a clear strategy for military space travel. Aschbacher emphasizes that European countries have so far acted too hesitantly and that more investments are needed in order not to fall behind their global competitors such as the USA and China. The road to independent and strong European space travel still seems long, but the course was set in Bremen.