European Space Agency Gets More Funds, Also For Moon Mission

The 22 member states of the European Space agency pledged to boost their funding to support more missions and research projects, including a new generation of satellites to monitor climate change.

- 

The agency’s director-general, Jan Woerner, said at the conclusion two-day ministerial meeting in Seville, Spain, that member states pledged a record three-year budget of 12.5 billion euros ($13.7 million) plus an additional 1.9 billion euros to cover operational costs and basic research in years four and five.

“14.4 billion euros. For me it is surprise. It is even more than I proposed,” said Woerner. “We have taken on some ambitious projects.”

Woerner said that “climate change is a strong driver” in a bigger-than-expected funding boost for Europe’s Copernicus Earth-observation satellites.