Europe risks being 'a spectator in next space race'

[Still Waters]

Europe must develop its own independent means of getting astronauts into space or risk missing out on the next big tech boom, warns an influential panel.

Its report, commissioned by the European Space Agency, says the space economy is at a similar inflection point to the internet 20 years ago.

Failure to respond will see Europe miss out on the next wave of Googles and Amazons, the group argues.

It calls for a plan to get Europeans on the Moon "within 10 years".

"While current estimates of the global space economy stand between €350bn and €450bn (£310bn-£400bn), independent forecasts predict its value to reach €1tn before 2040," the report reads.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65053729

https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/corporate/h-lag_brochure.pdf