NewSpace Europe event in Luxembourg, the promises of lunar exploration
Wednesday 13 November in Luxembourg, CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall was at the NewSpace Europe event to speak alongside space agency representatives on the theme of developing a lunar economy, a huge challenge for the years ahead that is creating fresh impetus to develop international cooperation, spur uptake of new technologies, services and products, and inspire and involve students and young professionals.
Lunar exploration paves the way for respectful and peaceful interaction between space powers, for the benefit of all mankind, in the spirit of the UN space treaties. The United States of America’s approach regarding the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway is also heading in this direction, as it is intended to be developed, serviced and utilized in collaboration with international partners. CNES is fully behind this initiative, consistent with its sustained efforts to develop and strengthen cooperation at global level. Cooperation is vital to stay ahead and continuously seek to improve, in particular in devising innovative responses to new challenges.
Longstanding stakeholders as well as new space players from academia, institutions and industry will be quick to mobilize their efforts and investments in lunar exploration missions. To prepare for these challenges, CNES created in 2016 a Directorate of Innovation designed to contribute actively to the agency’s mission to develop and guide space science and engineering research. Its main missions are to process and support the interests, requirements and challenges of all potential users of space data and missions, and to plan and propose future orbital systems and their applications with a view to stimulating creativity and innovation. The space industry must reach out to extend its benefits to society through new usages and applications.
The challenges facing lunar exploration will require diverse and highly skilled people in many different sectors. It is of utmost importance that we prepare the next generations of researchers and engineers to tackle future space exploration challenges. To this end, CNES will be taking part in ESA’s Spaceship initiative and implementing it in Toulouse to attract young talents and spawn a unique site in France where scientists, researchers, universities and industries will work together in a French upstream hub, federating, stimulating and promoting French excellence and encouraging them to focus on exploration and human spaceflight.
On the sidelines of today’s event, Jean-Yves Le Gall commented: “I firmly believe that lunar missions and space exploration in general are challenging but above all that they can inspire and unite us. We must tap into this momentum to be ambitious, and all the innovations we achieve will better prepare the next steps towards future human exploration missions while advancing research here on Earth.”
cp161-2019_-_luxembourg_va.pdf (pdf - 377.89 KB)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
