Shaping an ambitious and stable space agenda for Europe requires not only diplomatic self-confidence, but also a solid foundation in science and engineering. In fact, these attributes are essential when working with the 22 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Josef Aschbacher is the Director General of ESA, assuming this role in March 2021. He is responsible for the evolution of Europe’s space infrastructure, since rockets and spacecraft that perform Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications tasks for robotic planetary exploration, as well as the ESA astronauts serving aboard the International Space Station.
“It’s magical to put it all together and it’s a lot of work,” Aschbacher said. The challenges are many, he added. For example, it is working to ensure that Europe has independent access to space – a critical need for Member States.
Space.com spoke with Aschbacher this month at the Space Foundation’s 39th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to discuss what’s next for ESA. The following interview has been edited for length.
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Space.com: In July 2023, the venerable Ariane 5 roared skyward and reached retirement status. But this launch also signaled what you saw as Europe’s entry into a launch crisis. How are you dealing with this situation?
José Aschbacher: We had some challenges. Industry took the lead Ariana 6 with ESA as the system architect, the customer. When I became director general of ESA, my first act was to identify: Where are we? The news was not good. I had to re-establish teams to work on the technical aspects and reconfigure the team spirit between the partners, between CNES, the French space agency, Arianespace and ESA. Hundreds of people were involved in various technical teams and subgroups. We are systematically passing the milestones.
Space.com: And the result?
Aschbacher: We had to come together and work as a team. Thanks to the task force and tiger teams who are testing and resolving issues. I was literally spending 60-70% of my time on launchers – so a lot of time to get it right. We are on a good track now, with Ariane 6 scheduled between mid-June and the end of July.
Space.com: In the bigger picture of ESA, what concerns you?
Aschbacher: I think what we need to do — and it’s a huge challenge — is to make sure that our governance works well. In other words, the role of ESA, the European Union, our member states, is that we are not too fragmented, that we are aligned and bring our assets together well. On paper, it should be easy. In practice, it is sometimes a little more complicated. But I’m very committed to making it work.
Space.com: Next year, you will go to the ESA Council Ministerial Meeting, which will define the political guidelines for the European space program. How are you at the moment?
Aschbacher: There are many budget problems everywhere. In Europe we are doing well, but it will be difficult. For the ministerial meeting next November, we have already started preparing the first elements. With our 22 Member States, some States may, or may not want to, underwrite projects. It is quite diverse and we do not know to what extent the ministers will commit.
My job is to negotiate and prepare a portfolio of, say, 30 programs. So it’s been a year and a half of preparation. It’s always high tension. Very intense activity. At the beginning of a day and a half of ministry, I don’t know how the day will end. I have not seen any other organization across the world that has such a funding scheme.
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Space.com: One area that haunts everyone is the continued growth, spread and frightening problem of space junk. ESA has come forward with a “Zero Debris Charter”. Why and what is behind this initiative?
Aschbacher: We have been working on the issue of debris for several years. We have an active space security office at the European Space Operations Center [ESOC] In Germany. We are active and have established a Zero Debris Charter initiative. Anyone who signs up must undertake that, at the end of their satellitethey will take that spacecraft out of orbit.
It’s like entering a national park. You bring your lunch box and after eating you take your lunch box and trash out of the national park to ensure the park is kept clean. And that’s what we want to do with the orbits around the Earth.
A satellite operating for 10 years should be removed from orbit at the end of its life. Those who sign up must commit to doing so.
Space.com: And for ESA, what do you do?
Aschbacher: I did this for ESA, instructing my engineers that our satellites being built now must adhere to this principle. Use an active deorbit mechanism, have fuel to deorbit. They need to make sure that when the satellite breaks up, it breaks into pieces small enough to burn up in the atmosphere. Nothing falls to the Earth’s surface. So this is now in effect at ESA.
But of course I would like others to participate too. We put this up for subscription and have two subscription events planned for this year, one in May and one in June. One for European partners, one for international partners.
So far we have around 100 signed intentions already registered — a mix of private companies and organizations, space agencies, public entities.
Space.com: Paint is cheap. Who keeps an eye on them?
Aschbacher: The letter is a declaration of intent, but it is not legally binding. I am not a regulatory body; I am a space agency. I want to raise awareness, take the issue to politicians. I want to be a champion sustainability in space and I hope that others will follow suit, recognizing the importance of this issue.
Space.com: Did NASA sign the letter?
Aschbacher: I have a meeting here and I will ask the question.
Space.com: There was a recent event of an International Space Station battery transport pallet being purposely thrown away to re-enter the Space Station. Earth’s atmosphere. Later, it appears that a piece of this object hit a house in Florida. Who is responsible in this incident?
Aschbacher: There are some rules based on international law, the responsibility of the launching State, the responsibility of the operator. I would say that there is a somewhat weak legal regime. I think it would be difficult to enforce in court. But there is a pre-understanding about who would be in charge, or a first point to address if something happens. It’s not up to me to comment. I’m not a lawyer. That’s really for the lawyers to investigate. There will be a discussion.
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Space.com: Branching out into deep space exploration: How is ESA’s ExoMars effort progressing?
Aschbacher: ExoMarte started around 2010-2011, with NASA originally as a partner. But budgetary issues caused NASA to back out. So, in the work with Russia, we advanced about 10 years. With the war in Ukraine and the sanctions that our member states imposed on Russia, I was unable to finish the program. And that is something quite drastic. The ExoMars rover is completed and ready for launch in September 2022. The war started in February 2022, so I stopped and ended cooperation with Russia.
We had to completely reconfigure the mostly European mission, now with a very significant but smaller contribution from NASA. They provide three elements: the radioisotope heating unit that Europe does not have, the braking motors necessary for landing and the launcher. NASA has supported ExoMars and we appreciate this strong cooperation. We plan to launch in 2028.
Space.com: How important is ExoMars in our study of the Red Planet?
Aschbacher: It will pierce the surface, which is quite unique. There is no chance of find life on the surface. You have to go down, and exobiologists say at least 1.5 meters [4.9 feet]and we go down 2 meters [6.6 feet]. Can you imagine how exciting this will be? Imagine finding some microbes of life and analyzing whether there is DNA or not. Would the DNA be similar to ours or not? Unimaginable – and we simply don’t know.
