On 22 and 23 November 2022, the ministers and government representatives of the 22 member states of the European Space Agency ESA met at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris to set the course for joint space programmes 'made in Europe'. The Council Meeting at Ministerial Level is the highest political decision-making body, which sets the content and financial framework for ESA's space programmes on average every three years. In total, the ESA member states concluded on a budget of 16.9 billion euros. Of this total,
Germany is contributing around
3.5 billion euros under mixed economic conditions. Amounting to
20.66 percent of the total contributions, it is ESA's strongest partner alongside France (19.01 percent) and Italy (18.24 percent).
Germany will provide 1.15 billion euros (current economic conditions) for the ESA mandatory programmes: In addition to the General Budget, these include the Science Programme and the European Spaceport in French Guiana. About 2.37 billion euros of the German contribution will go to the optional programmes: these include about 669.2 million euros for Earth observation, about 365.3 million euros for telecommunications, around 11 million euros for navigation, 50 million euros for technology programmes, 155.1 million euros for space situational awareness and space safety, 490.8 million euros for space transport and operations, and about 725.6 million euros for human spaceflight, research in microgravity and exploration.
Germany's main contributions are detailed here.
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