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BERLIN — Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election bolsters the case for serious investment in space programs across the Continent, the director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, said Tuesday.
“Space has hit the top of the agenda in the U.S.,” Aschbacher told POLITICO during a visit to Berlin, adding it was clear from Trump’s victory speech — during which the president-elect glowingly recalled watching SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight — that space would be a “priority” for the incoming administration.
Trump certainly seems to have a strong interest in space. During his first term, he launched NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon and founded the U.S. Space Force as a dedicated military wing to protect assets in orbit. SpaceX boss Elon Musk has also been a major part of the campaign for Trump’s return to the White House.
While it remains unclear how Trump will define NASA’s mission plan and incorporate Musk’s commercial interests through SpaceX, his return to the White House will come just as European policymakers consider how to calibrate their own long-term investment.
The EU and ESA are already funding their own version of Musk’s Starlink internet satellite network called IRIS² to provide a European alternative to SpaceX when it comes to encrypted communication services.
Aschbacher said the aim is to close out contracts to build and operate the system by the end of the year.
The space agency chief will then ask ESA’s 22 member states for long-term cash commitments at a summit in Bremen late next year, while the EU is set to start seriously discussing its new long-term budget for 2028 onwards.
For ESA, increasing attention on space programs such as commercial satellite constellations, human spaceflight initiatives, start-up rocket companies and a future successor to the International Space Station is all good for business.
Trump’s victory “gives space more visibility, more prominence,” said Aschbacher. “This supports the case for space in Europe … It reminds everyone that [space is] an important domain.”
