Germany to boost contribution to European Space Agency to €5 billion

Germany is set to significantly increase its contribution for the European Space Agency (ESA), as Europe seeks to step up its investment in space capabilities.

"Last time it was just under €3.5 billion (about $4 billion), this time we've set ourselves a target of five billion," said Space Minister Dorothee Bär at the start of the ESA ministerial council meeting in the north-western German city of Bremen on Wednesday.

The ESA's 23 member states are convening to discuss Director General Josef Aschbacher's proposed budget of €22 billion over the next three years, up from €17 billion in the previous period.

Aschbacher was upbeat as the talks got underway. "There are enough issues on the table that could cause problems or discussions, but we have really managed them well," he said.

Ahead of the meeting, the ESA warned that Europe is in danger of "falling behind" because investment is insufficient and fragmented.

Germany is traditionally one of the countries that contributes the most money to the ESA budget. 

Space Minister Bär said Berlin wants to expand its commitments even further, focusing on satellite communications, Earth observation and navigation. She added that "an incredible number of jobs depend on space travel, but so does our security."

Europe's capabilities in space are under increasing scrutiny in light of geopolitical tensions.

As a result of Russia's war against Ukraine, Soyuz rockets are no longer available to carry ESA missions. After US President Donald Trump's return to office, meanwhile, Europe is increasingly backing homegrown alternatives to avoid relying on NASA or Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch satellites.