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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Press release16 April 2019Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

European Commission and European Space Agency sign agreement to support innovation in the space sector

Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska, responsible for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said: “I am glad that we signed the agreement with ESA today. If we want to foster an innovative European space sector, we need to be able to test new technologies in orbit. It is a unique tool to accelerate the development and marketing of innovative technologies. That's how the European space sector can stay globally competitive.”

Companies will be able to use ‘flight tickets to reach orbit' to test their new technologies relying on European solutions, both for spacecraft and for ground and launch services. The Commission published a call for expression of interest to select experiments for such in-orbit testing. Last year, the Commission also launched a contest for the development of a European low-cost solution for launching light satellites. To help maintain and further enhance the EU's leadership in space under the next budget period, the Commission proposed a €16 billion EU Space Programme. The new programme will invest more in space activities, adapting to new needs and technologies, while reinforcing Europe's autonomous access to space. The European Parliament will vote tomorrow on the Space Programme.

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