With a meeting on astronaut access set for next month, European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher plans talks with the United Arab Emirates on lunar and crewed projects.
Reuters reported Monday that Aschbacher will meet officials in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The talks include a possible launch for a UAE lunar rover and possible participation by an Emirati astronaut in the proposed ESA Provided Institutional Crew (EPIC) mission to the International Space Station. The flight would use a SpaceX spacecraft.
ESA member states endorsed the EPIC concept in March. In June, they allowed the agency to seek partners and a flight provider. The mission remains proposed, and no place for an Emirati astronaut has been assigned.
Europe currently purchases astronaut transport from U.S. providers. Aschbacher put the share of ESA’s budget connected to U.S. cooperation at about 5%, Reuters reported. Washington has also scaled back or stopped work on joint projects, including the Lunar Gateway and Mars Sample Return missions, according to Reuters.
Aschbacher has proposed an unapproved €10 billion investment over 10 years to give Europe the ability to launch its own astronauts. In a September interview with El País, he said European industry could benefit from domestic crew transport, while continued purchases from foreign providers would send spending abroad. Reuters reported that he wants European governments to settle their funding commitments before ESA considers international financing.
The visit follows earlier plans to discuss lunar cooperation that Aschbacher outlined in an Oct. 30 interview with The National. He called closer UAE ties a “strategic priority.” The UAE has sent two nationals into space but cannot yet conduct its own launches, Reuters reported.
ESA called in September for stronger European exploration capabilities alongside continued international partnerships. Member states will consider Europe’s astronaut access options and plans for the Moon and Mars at a Dec. 15 meeting in Rome.
