6
Oct
2022
Watch
An EU approach for Space Traffic management - an EU contribution addressing a global challenge (debate)
Mr President, if the European Union wants to become a real leader, it really needs to further increase its investment in both science and research, as well as in space, which we need to use in cooperation with other great powers and preserve for future generations. Space-related services already account for 10% of the European Union's GDP. Space traffic, which has increased sharply in recent years due to the decreasing cost of launching satellites into orbit, complicates this situation. It is currently estimated that there are up to 1 million objects larger than 1 centimetre in Earth’s orbit, moving at a speed of 56 thousand km/h. In the event of a collision, there may indeed be major damage and an increase in space debris. As an actor in space policy who wants to be a leader, the European Union must also put more pressure on other states to agree to cooperate in the use of space, as well as to adopt a more gentle and sustainable stance. It is therefore very regrettable in this context and it is, in fact, a great tragedy that this war and the Russian Federation’s war of aggression in Ukraine are continuing. I therefore fully support this initiative of the European Commission and the European Union's common approach to space traffic management.