Earth observation lead Josef Aschbacher says he will do everything possible to deliver programme missions
The next director-general of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, has said a budget shortfall for the Copernicus Earth-observation satellite programme is a major cause for concern.
Speaking at a press conference on 14 January, Aschbacher (pictured) said the “€2.3 billion” hole in the Copernicus budget “worries me a lot”. The EU’s institutions agreed a €5.4bn budget for Copernicus on 16 December 2020, as part of a dedicated EU space programme for 2021-27.