Macron urges Europe to build crewed spaceflight capacity within a decade
Macron set timelines for a European cargo capsule, lunar lander and a crewed launch from Kourou and backed ESA calls for roughly €1bn a year.
On 10 September 2026 French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to develop an independent capability for crewed space missions within a decade, speaking at an international space summit held in Paris and organised by France and Germany.
Concrete milestones: Nix to the ISS, Argonaut to the Moon, crewed capsule from Kourou
Macron said Europe must strengthen its vulnerable space programme and set clear targets for the next ten years. "We want Europe to confirm its ambition in the field of crewed flights," he declared.
He outlined a sequence of specific goals: "In two years I want to see the first European cargo capsule 'Nix' join the International Space Station; in five years the first European lunar lander 'Argonaut' to land on the surface of the Moon," he said, and added that "and in ten years the first European crewed capsule to fly from Kourou with European astronauts and astronauts from other countries on board."
The call follows a plea from European Space Agency Director-General Josef Aschbacher, who at a closed meeting of ministers and senior officials asked for increased funding to build an independent European space sector. He warned members to choose whether they will be "passengers or pilots" in the new era of rapidly advancing space technologies.
Aschbacher estimated the development would require roughly €1 billion per year for the next ten years. He also warned that continuing to buy seats from foreign providers carries a heavy price: "Buying flights for European astronauts from foreign companies would cost five billion euros over a period of ten years," he said, funds that would otherwise support European industry, jobs and technological capabilities.
Observers note that to date Europe has never launched its own crewed mission and has relied on launches and crew capsules provided by Russia and the United States. ESA member states are expected to hold a ministerial meeting in December to decide the next steps; last year the agency secured a record budget of €22.1 billion to finance its programmes over the coming three years.
Photo: press material from the event
