28/11/2025
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The ESA Council at Ministerial Level (CM25) delivered a record-breaking €22.1 billion in commitments from Member States. This is a historic achievement and a clear signal of trust in ESA’s ability to deliver success through expertise and innovation.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher commented:
“This is a great success for Europe and a truly important moment for our autonomy and leadership in science and innovation. I am grateful for the hard work and careful thought that went into securing the new subscriptions from our Member States, amounting to a 32% increase – or 17% when corrected for inflation – compared to ESA’s 2022 Ministerial Council.”
The key to technology sovereignty
Europe is investing in its future in space, with technology driving the next steps to elevate Europe’s future in space.
The General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) remains the key to implementing ESA’s technology strategy. For decades, GSTP has been transforming ideas into operational technologies, enabling missions, and Europe, to lead in critical areas – but space is becoming more competitive, more strategic, and more industrialised. To keep pace, GSTP evolves.
Funding for the future
At CM25, Member States backed this evolution with €5 billion for technology, addressing all space applications and all technology maturity levels – from early-stage exploratory developments to orbit demonstrations.
GSTP funding increased by 70% since the last cycle – reflecting strong confidence in GSTP’s role in the development of critical technologies for European sovereignty. This level of investment proves that ESA is seen as a trusted partner to deliver Europe’s most ambitious technology research and development projects.
“This is an unprecedented level of resources, showing the strong belief Europe has in ESA’s technology excellence,” says Dietmar Pilz, Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality at ESA.
What’s new in GSTP
High subscription levels show Member States’ commitment to strategic autonomy, underlining that there is no sovereignty without technology sovereignty.
Together with ESA, Member States at CM25 added a new Resilience and Security Component, complementing the existing EEE Space Component Sovereignty for Europe, and allocated a total of €200 million.
The two components will focus on:
- Establishing long-term European autonomy in critical technologies
- Developing enabling technologies for security and resilience, with the appropriate confidentiality and security measures
- Collaborating with end users and ESA projects to ensure developments meet operational and strategic specifications.
Key Focus Areas for the Future
ESA and its Member States have also identified four priority technology domains that will define the next decade and drive European sovereignty:
- Artificial Intelligence: Transforming mission design, autonomy, and operations.
- Quantum Technologies: Turning Europe’s research leadership into industrial capability for sensing, secure communication, and quantum networks.
- Propulsion technology: Driving cutting edge propulsion systems, essential for all space activities.
- Sustainable technologies: Developing technologies to manage the space environment responsibly and ensure long-term access to orbit.
Why technology matters more than ever
Technology is not just an enabler – it is the strategic foundation for Europe’s future in space. CM25 decisions ensure ESA can:
- Accelerate innovation from low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) concepts to high TRL operational systems/in-orbit demonstrations.
- Support industrial competitiveness in a global market moving from prototypes to series of production.
- Deliver sovereignty by mastering critical technologies that Europe cannot afford, or be dependent on others, and bolster Europe’s cybersecurity capabilities in space.
CM25 marks a turning point for Europe’s space technology strategy. With historic funding and a renewed focus on sovereignty, resilience, and competitiveness, ESA is ready to deliver the technologies that will shape the future of space.
Powered by the expertise of ESA’s Technology, Engineering and Quality (TEC) Directorate and teams, together with our Member States and industry, we are leading the way in space technology for decades to come.