Diana Morant: "Europe's future takes off from Spain with the largest investment in space science and innovation in our history"

Group photo of the meeting with representatives of the space sector at the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities

The Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, brought together more than 200 representatives from the space sector (both in person and online) at the Ministry headquarters to present a summary of the European Space Agency (ESA) Ministerial Council meeting held in Bremen, Germany, at the end of November, where she emphasised that "Europe's future takes off from Spain with the largest investment in space science and innovation in our history."

Morant expressed the Government's commitment to space with a record contribution to the ESA of an average of 455 million euros per year during the period 2026-2030. This unprecedented investment has allowed Spain to become, for the first time, the fourth largest contributor to ESA programmes, alongside Germany, France, and Italy, and ahead of countries like the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Switzerland.

The minister assured that the Spanish Space Agency (ESA) will guarantee that every euro translates into progress for society. "We have prioritised space because it has a beneficial impact on citizens, and we are confident that Spanish industry, technology centres, and science will rise to the challenge," she said.

Spain triples its contribution to ESA

In 2017, Spain contributed €150 million annually. In 2019, this increased to €250 million, and in 2022, the contribution rose to €300 million. This year, 2025, the average annual contribution has reached €455 million, 50% more than in the previous period. Spain's contribution to the ESA's total budget has increased from 5.5% to 8.46%, with €1.854 billion in commitments for the next five years. Our country's contribution to the ESA has more than doubled compared to 2022.

The Minister referred to space as "an essential infrastructure for making better, data-driven decisions; for driving innovation and creating highly skilled jobs; for navigation, secure communications and connectivity; for Earth observation, emergency management and climate monitoring."

"It is key to protecting our citizens, our technological sovereignty, our competitiveness and our well-being. We invest in space because it is investing in the future, in sustainability, in resilience and in opportunities for our young people," she stressed.

Spain, ready to lead European programmes

Morant pointed out that this commitment will allow us to soon reach a new milestone: placing Spain among the ten countries with their own space access capabilities. With an investment of €169 million, the Miura 5 launcher, being developed by PLD Space, will be incorporated into the next generation of European launchers through the ESA's European Launcher Challenge (ELC).

Other important programmes in which Spain is investing include ESCA+ (ESCA PLUS), the strengthening of the Atlantic constellation for Earth observation, essential in the face of the climate emergency; LEO-PNT and IRIS2 to boost Spanish leadership in European navigation and secure communications; sustainability and space surveillance in the DRACO mission; and the CAT mission for removing objects from orbit and the creation of the Spanish Centre for Space Weather.

Non official translation