In news- Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) council approved a manifesto to accelerate the use of space in Europe to tackle the urgent and unprecedented societal, economic and security challenges faced by Europe and its citizens.
About the Manifesto-
- At the Intermediate Ministerial Meeting that was held in Matosinhos, Portugal, the Council of Ministers unanimously adopted this resolution.
- It lays down a vision for the continent in terms of maintaining and expanding its activities in space.
- The resolution defines three “accelerators” to further advance Europe’s space ambitions. They are:
- To start working towards the “Space for a Green Future”, so that people are better able to understand the current state of the planet and to develop scenarios and solutions for sustainable life on Earth.
- Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response- It aims to support governments to act decisively on crises facing Europe, from flooding and storms to wildfires.
- Protection of Space Assets, whose objective is to safeguard ESA astronauts and assets from interference by space debris and space weather.
- First accelerator is in line with achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets by the year 2050.
- Other than this, the council recognised two “inspirators” to reinforce European leadership in science, technology development and inspiration: an icy moon sample return mission and human space exploration.
European Space Agency (ESA)-
- It is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space.
- It was established in 1975 with the aim of developing Europe’s space capabilities.
- Its headquarters is in Paris.
- Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Source: The Indian Express
