Europe’s research ministers to commit billions to ‘space race’
On their agenda are missions to the Moon and Mars, and, closer to home, satellites to monitor the weather and encrypt global communications.
The proposed budget for the European Space Agency is a near-25% increase.
Finding the cash will be a challenge, however, given the big rise in the cost of living across the continent.
Governments may well be tempted to pull back on their space spending.
"This is true, but let me say the package we have on the table is found by every member state of Esa to be very attractive," said agency director general, Dr Josef Aschbacher.
"No-one is saying 'this is not what we should be doing', and every country is making huge efforts to find the money, despite the economic situation," he told BBC News.
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