Brussels on mission to boost EU’s role in space exploration

The European Commission will propose on 4 April 2011 to strengthen the EU's space policy with the aim of increasing the bloc's capability ‘to pursue independent missions’.
Europe has already carried out autonomous exploration missions, such as Mars Express, which was launched in 2003 and is currently monitoring the Red Planet.

However, the EU's potential in this field is yet to be fully exploited, ‘because its actions are too piecemeal and because of the lack of linkage between space exploration and the political, economic and social challenges’, according to draft Commission proposals obtained by EurActiv.

• Primary Source

European Space Agency: Homepage http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html

ESO: Background information: European Commission Website: European space policy http://www.europeansources.info/record/website-european-space-policy/

ESO: Background information: 2011 European Satellite Navigation Competition kicks off in May http://www.europeansources.info/record/2011-european-satellite-navigation-competition-kicks-off-in-may/

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