Manifesto To Accelerate The Use Of Space In Europe:
The European Space Agency (ESA) council has approved a manifesto to accelerate the use of space in Europe.
- Basically, the council has adopted a resolution that lays down a vision for the continent in terms of maintaining and expanding its activities in space.
- Other than this, the council recognised two “inspirators” to reinforce European leadership in science, technology development and inspiration: an icy moon sample return mission and human space exploration.
- The resolution defines three “accelerators” to further advance Europe’s space ambitions.
Space for a Green Future:
- Space projects that enable it to understand the current state of the planet and help it get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
- Earth observation satellites and their data are a key part of this.
- Space applications that allow nations to manage more effectively any crises that crop up.
- Examples: Severe flooding and wildfires were seen in parts of Europe earlier this year (2021). Also, the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has flagged frequent weather events, such as heatwaves, extreme rainfalls and rising sea levels. Some of these factors may influence the way wildfires play out.
- Russia’s use of a missile to destroy a satellite in orbit recently has highlighted the need for new systems to safeguard European astronauts and satellites from interference.
