ESA boss tires of being dragged around by NASA mood swings

European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher has taken a swipe at NASA and US policy, while calling for autonomy in human spaceflight via an opinion post titled "Are we pilots or are we passengers?" The May 18 post is emblematic of the hand-wringing within ESA over the last few years as NASA has lurched from plan to plan amid fluctuating priorities and funding. Aschbacher, it appears, has had enough. "Europe has become too exposed to decisions beyond its control," he said. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman recently announced changes that would pause, and likely cancel, the Lunar Gateway space station project in favor of a Moon base. The decision, along with scrapping the over-budget and delayed Mars Sample Return mission, does not sit well with ESA, which had a hand in both. Aschbacher warned of the potential for dependence on third parties for programs including human spaceflight. ESA removed reliance on Russia for missions such as ExoMars, and turbulence in US space policy has given the agency pause for thought. "Europe must decide whether it prefers to be dependent on others to send its explorers into space or to assume its role as a fully capable space power. As the head of the European Space Agency (ESA), I am convinced that autonomous human spaceflight is not a luxury. It is a necessary anchor for Europe to secure its freedom to unlock the scientific, economic, strategic and geopolitical benefits of space and to inspire a new generation to shape Europe's future." In 2025, an agency insider referred to NASA as "an abusive spouse who could lash out at any moment in unpredictable ways." In 2026, Aschbacher's patience appears to be running out. "I'm glad," a source told The Register. "The US has fucked us around for too long." Aschbacher and ESA would not put it so bluntly. However, one of ESA's strengths is also one of its weaknesses. The agency has 23 member states. Political and funding decisions are imminent: the ESA Council meets in June, the Intermediate Ministerial Council is in December, and a full Council at Ministerial level is due in 2028. "If we started today," Aschbacher wrote, "it would still take us many years to build autonomous capability - we must act quickly. The cost of inaction would far outweigh the necessary investment." Aschbacher's comments came on the eve of the successful launch of the Smile spacecraft on a Vega-C rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on May 19. The mission, a collaboration between ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), will study how Earth responds to solar wind. "The current environment demands both diversified international partnerships and strengthened autonomous capabilities," wrote Aschbacher. "We must use this challenging moment and turn it into an opportunity to redefine our position." His next challenge is to persuade ESA's member states, each with their own budgetary pressures, to see things the same way. "History will not wait for Europe to feel comfortable and ready; it will move forward with or without us. The choice before Europe is clear: do we pilot, or are we merely passengers? We have everything we need. What remains are the confidence and political will to act." (R)