New ESA Budget

[All Seeing Eye]

Member states of the European space agency (Esa) have agreed a 10bn-euro budget at their meeting in The Hague.
The figure, which covers the next three to five years, represents a substantial increase in funding.
Ministers said the investment in space would help European industry pull through the current economic downturn.
The new money will help build new Earth observation satellites, maintain Esa's participation in the space station, and fund probes to the planets.

Link

All I can say to this news is YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!
COME ON!!!!

This is fantastic news, Europe/the ESA might finally start leading the way in space exploration and manned missions.

Yeeeeehaaaaaaw.

 

[Squiggy]

This is fantastic news, Europe/the ESA might finally start leading the way in space exploration and manned missions.

NASA's budget is almost twice that...so...no.

 

[mic of orion]

This is fantastic news, Europe/the ESA might finally start leading the way in space exploration and manned missions.

NASA's budget is almost twice that...so...no.

3 times more likely

16.8 billion USD per year, v esa 4 billion euros.

 

[Timo]

...Of course, NASA is currently subsisting on that budget, whereas for ESA it will mean sustenance and growth. Whether that equates "leading the way" remains to be seen.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Squiggy]

ESA would also need to build up the infrastructure to be competitive. 10 billion isn't enough to catch up.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

We shall see, the thing about the ESA is that they know how to get more bang for their buck (or should I say more bang for their Euro).