Astronomy Prints 🌌: Editor's Choice: All eyes are on Europe's ministerial

11/26/2025

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By Dan Robitzski

All eyes are on Europe this week as the European Space Agency begins its long-anticipated CM25 ministerial, where member nations will hash out their priorities and contributions to the continental space program.

Big changes are expected: With the Russia-Ukraine war continuing, Europe has signaled that it's embracing the militarization of space through dual-use technologies; and with a less reliable partner in the United States, Europe has also signaled a desire to bolster its own sovereign capabilities in space. That means not having to rely on other countries' space programs or on non-European companies like SpaceX.

ESA chief Josef Aschbacher told us in a September interview that he is preparing for "a very intense negotiation with all our member states" as he goes into the ministerial, where he hopes to make his ambitious funding asks (expected to be roughly 22 billion euros, which is $25.5 billion) attractive for the continent and individual countries alike.

SpaceNews' Jeff Foust wrote from Bremen this morning that Aschbacher said, "We are in really good shape. The spirit is good. We are on a good track, and we are working very well."

In addition, Emma Gatti, also in Bremen, wrote about that on the first day of the event, "even as ESA leaders push for unity, officials from those countries have hinted that their backing is driven by sharply different national priorities."

A few other early signs:

- Germany has already ramped up its domestic military space budget. And while that raised questions about whether the country would also be willing to up its ESA spend, industry speculation suggests that it will.

- Similarly, rumors that Italy may pursue a deal with SpaceX's Starlink over Europe's planned IRIS² constellation may have been exaggerated, as we reported in September, and the country also seems to remain committed to the ESA coalition.

- ESA has also advanced its Argonaut lunar lander program, initially funded during the previous ministerial in 2022, by announcing a Thales Alenia Space-led consortium behind the project. While specific payloads will need to be funded this time around, it indicates the exact kind of increased commercial participation Aschbacher is hoping to promote.

With negotiations set to continue over the next few days, the big unanswered questions will be what programs get funded or scrapped, and who's picking up the bill.

By the way, we recently launched our new Europe Report newsletter, highlighting the latest news from our cadre of European reporters. We'll send a special edition this Friday recapping the ministerial. You can sign up here, and check SpaceNews.com for our latest reporting.

SIGNIFICANT DIGIT

828M euros

The amount ($959 million) that Eutelsat's board granted approval for the company to fundraise from anchor shareholders as the company seeks financing to refresh its OneWeb low Earth orbit broadband constellation.

Boeing's Starliner undocks from the International Space Station at the conclusion of the Crew Flight Test mission. Credit: NASA

A DRY RUN FOR STARLINER

The next time Boeing's CST-100 Starliner flies to the International Space Station, it will carry only cargo, not people. Despite being funded under NASA's commercial crew program, the first of Starliner's four missions — expected no earlier than April 2026 — will carry "necessary cargo" to the ISS, the space agency said. That mission will provide a lower-stakes chance to validate and certify the spacecraft, which will have undergone fixes and modifications to prevent another mishap like what happened the last time a crew flew on the Starliner.

TIANGONG'S LIFEBOAT ARRIVES

Last week, I wrote about the recent challenge faced by China's Tiangong space station crews, as one of two spacecraft docked to the station was damaged by what was likely an orbital debris collision, leaving the new Shenzhou-21 crew without a lifeboat when the outgoing Shenzhou-20 crew departed. Now, the new crew finally has their escape vehicle, as China launched the uncrewed Shenzhou-22 spacecraft to Tiangong on Nov. 24. The spacecraft docked with the space station just 3.5 hours later.

Trending This Week

Rocket engine startup Ursa Major said Nov. 18 it raised $100 million in Series E funding and locked in another $50 million in debt commitments.

SEOPS, an American mission services provider, has purchased a Spectrum launch from Isar Aerospace to broaden launch options for its customers.

German satellite component company Dcubed is moving into in-space manufacturing with a series of missions to demonstrate production of large solar arrays in orbit.

The United States is at risk of losing the strategic high ground that underpins modern military power, according to a sweeping new report that urges Congress to move quickly as China accelerates its bid to dominate space.

FROM SPACENEWS

U.S. Space Force Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy will headline this year's Icon Awards on Dec. 2

Join us Tuesday in Washington DC: U.S. Space Force Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy will headline this year's Icon Awards program with a keynote speech that is expected to touch on the future of space acquisition, innovation and collaboration. Purdy has been serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration. Other speakers and attendees include leaders from NASA and the Department of State's Office of Space Affairs as well as executives and innovators from across the industry. Register by Dec. 1.

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