The head of the French space agency, the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), Jean-Yves Le Gall, spoke at the New Space Economy ExpoForum organized by the Italian space agency (ASI) in partnership with the Space Foundation in Rome on 10 December 2019.
This international event is focused on the new space economy and its ability to create new market and economic development opportunities in Europe, bringing together space agencies, government institutions, manufacturers, SMEs from inside and outside the space sector, investors, research scientists, academia and start-ups.
Heads of space agencies representing Europe (ESA), France (CNES), Spain (CDTI), Italy (ASI) and Switzerland (SSO), and the new IAF President, took part in a round table session where they discussed the future of Europe’s space programme in the wake of the Ministerial Council meeting in Seville, as well as national strategies with respect to the new space economy. The budget of €14.4bn decided for 2020-2024 by ESA’s 22 member states will enable Europe to remain a pivotal player in space while guaranteeing its competitiveness and strategic autonomy. These funds will have a crucial impact on economic growth in Europe, fuelling development of new technologies for industry, notably in the domains of telecommunications, navigation and exploration.
During his contribution to the round table, Jean-Yves Le Gall underlined France’s sustained commitment to a strong Europe and CNES’s approach to the new space economy, which aims to maintain the nation’s world-renowned research and technology expertise. CNES is the only space agency in Europe apart from ESA that possesses a technical field centre capable of building satellites from start to finish with their ground segment.
CNES’s President also pointed to the Connect by CNES initiative dedicated to new markets inside and outside the space sector, concentrating chiefly on mobility, healthcare and the environment. “Connect by CNES offers space a gateway to the wider economy,” he concluded, emphasizing “the excellence of France’s research and technology that is boosting its NewSpace ecosystem.”
