February 25, 2019

France-Germany space cooperation: ‘NewSpace: a Franco-German Perspective’

Thursday 21 February 2019, CNES took part in a debate organized by the German Embassy in France and the Institut Montaigne, on the subject of ‘NewSpace: a Franco-German Perspective’. A message from CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall was delivered by CNES Director of Innovation, Applications and Science Gilles Rabin at the end of the day’s debate, which explored the various factors that enable Europe to remain a world leader in a fast-changing context.

NewSpace presents an opportunity to which CNES and France are ever more committed, with the amazing potential of space turbo-charged by the emergence of new players and digital transformation. CNES is driven by innovation, enabling it to keep pace with deep transformations in the space sector.

The development of international cooperation is a cornerstone of CNES’s strategy within this fast-changing market, and French-German cooperation is among the most ambitious in terms of exploration missions, tackling climate change and innovation. Space cooperation between the two countries is also mentioned in the Franco-German Treaty of Cooperation and Integration, signed on 22 January 2019 by the French President and German Chancellor.

In 2015, CNES reorganized to help foster the emergence of new and creative methods and rise to the challenges of digital transformation, miniaturization and the growing number of public and private players. In addition, the many partnerships between CNES and space users have spawned a closer and more collaborative relationship.

CNES has also developed new tools. These include its Federation initiative to create and nurture an environment conducive to the launch of space infrastructure projects; its Space’ibles space survey laboratory to explore new possibilities; and Connect by CNES, which makes CNES expertise available to companies. Such tools serve to forge a direct link with space users and boost the competitiveness of the European space industry. 

CONTACTS
Pascale Bresson    Press Officer    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 75 39    pascale.bresson@cnes.fr
Raphaël Sart    Press Officer    Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 74 51    raphael.sart@cnes.fr
Sébastien Martignac    Press Officer    Tel. +33 (0)1 44 76 78 35    sebastien.martignac@cnes.fr