French President Emmanuel Macron and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher have proposed a ten-year plan to establish an independent European human spaceflight program. The initiative aims to reduce reliance on foreign transport systems and secure technological sovereignty for the region.
The roadmap begins with the development of the Nyx cargo spacecraft, which is expected to dock with the International Space Station within two years to test key technologies. Following this, the Argonaut lunar lander is scheduled for a mission to the Moon in five years.
The final goal is to launch a crewed spacecraft from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana within the next decade. This vehicle would be capable of transporting both European and international astronauts to orbit, marking a shift from being space passengers to pilots.
ESA estimates the total cost of the program at €10 billion, requiring an annual investment of €1 billion over ten years. Aschbacher noted that continuing to purchase foreign launch services would cost approximately €5 billion over the same period.
