The European Ministers responsible for Space are meeting on Wednesday February 16 in Toulouse (Upper Garonne), to clarify the space ambitions of the European Union, under the chairmanship of the French Minister for the Economy, Bruno Le Maire. This meeting will be followed by a working lunch devoted to space exploration and climate change. Follow our live.
Two priority topics on the program. The European Commission took the lead on Tuesday by presenting its initiatives on the constellation of satellites and the management of space traffic, two subjects with a strong dimension of sovereignty and security for the European Union. The constellation of satellites, the first of which are due to be operational in 2024, will provide an internet network specific to the EU, ensuring secure government communications.
Emmanuel Macron will expose the positions of France. In a speech at 2:30 p.m., the Head of State will say more about France’s positions and its ambitions for Europe on these subjects. He will emphasize, according to the Elysée, that “space is once again becoming an issue of conquest”especially with “the emergence of private actors” in the forefront of which the American SpaceX, of the billionaire Elon Musk.
Toulouse, bastion of civil and military space. The choice of the pink city for this event is no coincidence, explains France 3 Occitanie. Alongside companies dedicated to space such as Airbus Defense and Space or Thalès and Cnes, which notably follows experiments on board the ISS, Toulouse has been hosting the military space command since last year. This structure will have about 300 soldiers within three years.