The future of European space exploration
During the Cold War, there were two main actors in spatial domain, the USSR and the United States. Now there are a multitude of players with America at the top of the list.
The European Union has established itself as an important figure in the world of international space including the Ariane program. Russia has maintained and begins promoting its technological knowledge in the 21st century.
The real new players are China, most likely the future big heavyweight of space exploration against the US, but also countries like Japan, South Korea, India and Brazil that develop all ambitious space programs.
What is emerging globally is obvious, medium term, the United States and China will become, in the same way that they are both economic and military powers in the 21 th century, the two players in space domain.
But as a European, I think it necessary to consider a third actor, potentially as important as the other two, it would be of strategic union of Russia and the European Union to form the great space Europe... but Europe as a continent.
Indeed many clues indicate a strategic merger of these two powers. The Mission exo Mars which comes from direct work of ESA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Moreover, the Soyuz rocket launched from French Guiana kourou site, operated by a true technological partnership and a high atmosphere of trust.
Although the US and Europe appear as natural allies, there are signs that the US reveal some little independent about the construction of their space program.
The latest example is the design of the Orion transport modules, following a request by ESA to collaborate in its development, NASA refused and preferred to work alone. ESA has therefore turned to Russia with
his new crew transpotation system PTK.
Latest clues that are also warnings, the recent establishment of American companies operating space minig: Deep Space Industries, Planetery Resources and the Google Lunar X Prize. These three companies are 100% American, and to date no other companies of this kind also exist nowhere else. This means that while the United States used to have several players that support
moreover some competition and thus innovation, the rest of developed countries remain absent in this area.
So this European Space Union would be a guarantee for the continent not to be exceeded in this area.
Often said the majority of space actors for the century to come already exist, some as a start up, others like heavyweights in the aerospace industry.
That is the first step for the european would be to create a space mining conmpany. Moreover it would benefit from industrial know of the highest quality, indeed Europe has large aerospace companies like Airbus and Energia, as well as mining.
What is missing in Europe is a stronger determination, a will to unify, to converge its means, and maintain a strong purpose, fixed for the future.
