I. CLARIFY GOVERNANCE OF SPACE POLICY - Establish a genuine European Union space programme, over a ten-year period, with a more comprehensive set of objectives and clearer governance principles - Within this framework, make ESA the European Union space agency and enable national agencies to provide their expertise to the Commission - Recognise independent access to space as a priority and therefore the need for Europe to use its own launchers - Introduce a principle of reciprocity in the space sector which means only purchasing outside Europe if third markets are genuinely open to competition - Promote closer relations between ESA and national agencies to avoid duplication and to enable ESA to benefit from expertise developed in Europe - Streamline ESA operating rules taking into account enlargement, particularly with regard to the historic rule on geographical return which could move towards becoming a rule on ‘fair contribution’ so as not to hinder the competitiveness of the European industry - In France, reintroduce space in the title of the ministry responsible for promoting its use to the general public - In France, submit to Parliament regularly, for example a year before the renewal of the multiannual contract between the State and the National Centre of Space Studies (CNES), a space planning bill, subject to a prior opinion from the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST) - In France, create a structure for coordinating government and industry efforts concerning space issues, using the model of the Civil Aviation Research Council (CORAC), chaired by an independent person II. MAINTAIN SPACE BUDGETS DESPITE THE CRISIS - Swiftly reintegrate the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme into the Multiannual Financial Framework of the Union for 2014-2020 - At the same time ensure the safeguard of other European Union space budgets (Galileo, research). With regard to France: - Maintain France’s long-term commitment to ESA, i.e. its contribution to the budget, to continue to be a driver in defining what European space policy should be, and to be in a position to implement the rules on ‘geographical return’ to the benefit of our industry as much as possible - Continue to pay off France’s debt to ESA - Pursue action in line with the “Future Investment programme”, which means consolidating French space budgets by promoting targeted expenditure to make our industry more competitive - Present all the French space budgets in one document to possibly spur and be used in public debate III. SUPPORT THE COMPETITIVENESS AND TECHNOLOGICAL INDEPENDENCE OF EUROPEAN INDUSTRY - Develop European industries in key technological sectors for which there is dependence (hardened microelectronic components), monitor economic profitability of such industries once they are developed and concentrate available resources on a few strategic priorities - Continue support for the European telecommunications satellite industry provided by major core European Space Policy: A time for decisions OVERVIEW OF RECOMMENDED PATHS By Catherine Procaccia and Bruno Sido, French Senators PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE FOR THE EVALUATION OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL CHOICES ASSESMENT CHOICE D’ÉVALUATION DES CHOIX SCIENTIFIQUES ET TECHNOLOGIQUES programmes (very high-speed, new-generation platforms) - Foster the development of an ‘all-electric’ satellite industry - Ensure that an industrial impact study is conducted prior to taking any space policy decision IV. SAFEGUARD LONG-TERM INDEPENDENT ACCESS TO SPACE FOR EUROPE - Develop as swiftly as possible a new-generation modular launcher, with a restartable upper stage, prioritising cost reduction in order to boost its market competitiveness - Present, by 2014 at the latest, a comprehensive development project for this new-generation launcher (configuration, industrial commitments, deadlines, costs) - Then take a definitive decision about Ariane 5 ME to stop financing two projects that compete with one another - Develop Vega to make it compatible with the new-generation launcher and Europeanise all of its components so that the launcher can fully participate in the objective of independent access to space for Europe V. REVITALISE SPACE DEFENCE POLICY - Give fresh impetus to European cooperation on observation programmes to promote the pooling of European space defence resources rather than their duplication - In France, carry out the operational stages of early warning and listening watch programmes VI. TRACKING AND ADDRESSING SPACE DEBRIS - Implement existing rules, both national (law on space operations) and international (COPUOS, IADC), — especially by providing Europe with a launcher with a restartable upper stage—and reinforce these rules at international level so that ‘virtuous’ space users are not penalised - Put in place a comprehensive European space monitoring system combining and supplementing the existing resources (for instance the French radar space tracking system, GRAVES) - Carry out research for innovative technological solutions to clean up debris - Include debris management and dismantling costs in the budgets of all missions - Come up with methods to establish a price for orbital positions and/or frequencies in order to reduce ‘speculation’ (paper satellites) and to fund research on ways to eliminate debris VII. CONSIDER ‘SPACE FOR EARTH’ A PRIORITY - Actively pursue the implementation of GMES programme infrastructures to ensure continued production and consistent Earth observation data - Put in place the management required for GMES applications and services to become operational - Confirm European expertise in the area of Earth exploration by implementing both the infrastructure and the services required for Europe to take the lead in assessing global change VIII. PURSUE COST-EFFECTIVE SPACE EXPLORATION - Continue to participate in the International Space Station until 2020 in a technologically innovative way - Study ISS dismantling methods and costs - Maintain continuity over time of European scientific mission to consolidate its lead in this highly symbolic area of space policy - Promote robotic missions with scientific innovation objectives that are cost effective, as much as possible within the framework of international cooperation efforts.