ASI | Italian space agency

“The Matosinhos statement Adopted today is a milestone for space activity. Times are changing and Europe cannot be left behind.” This was stated by the Director General of the European Space Agency Joseph Aschbacher, The 2021 Intermediate Ministerial Council (Imm21) from the European Space Agency (ESA) held today in Matosinhos, Portugal.
Last June, the Director General of the European Space Agency created a group of high-level experts, or so-called articles, whose main function was to recommend strategic issues that the European Space Agency should consider in order to assess appropriate actions to be taken for upcoming developments.
“Some challenges are of particular importance to our country – said the delegated authority for space policy Vittorio Colao, the current Minister of Technological Innovation and Digital Transformation – that is why we are convinced to support the European Space Agency to make a renewed and enhanced contribution to the international community.”

The recommendations that emerged from the works of the sages, discussed today, identified three concepts of action, defined by the term accelerators.
The first accelerator, Rapid and Flexible Crisis Response, aims to provide information quickly to those facing crisis situations; the second, “Space for a Green Future,” will use space data to promote sustainable life on Earth; Finally, Space Resource Protection aims to ensure the availability and operation of the space infrastructure that underpins the economy and society on a daily basis.
The members of the Council, adopting the statement of Matosinos, formally instructed the Director General to propose the necessary actions for the initiation of the second accelerator related to “Space for a green futureAs a basic path from which to guide choices and policies towards the 2022 Ministerial Conference.

As emphasized in its recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the main international body for assessing climate change, Earth observation space activities, with Europe co-located with the Copernicus programme, are today playing an increasingly essential role in climate observation from space. , as well as supporting political decisions to adapt to changes.
“Accelerators are opportunities for collaboration between agencies and individuals, based on concrete interests in the key challenges ahead. Urgency means that the lack of action today turns into an economic cost” – said the Director General of the European Space Agency, stressing a key point in the strategy: Inspiration – “We must attract and retain the best talent, including scientists and engineers, to mentor and motivate young people as has happened to some us when the first man set foot on the moon in the year 69.”
Therefore the purpose of accelerators is to promote and innovate the use of space, the combination of public and private resources, for the safety of the planet and its inhabitants. In addition to the most pressing challenges, the push for the use of space also wants to stimulate scientific research that plays a fundamental role for a common future and in which the role of Europe, with its current tasks, is fundamental and essential. .

Using the data provided by Earth observation tools, the understanding of climate change has been greatly improved, with humanity on alert “code red” (source: IPCC). “At this moment society is being put to the test, we must act and also quickly, support accelerators that they inspiring, Starting with “Space for a Green Future”. We still have the time, we have the capabilities and sufficient political and economic importance. “The European Space Agency is ready to do its part,” Schachbacher said.
In particular, Europe, with its satellite monitoring programs of more than twenty years, will produce useful and effective information, and also exploit the integration with the “Space for a Green Future” accelerator, to implement adaptation strategies in support of the green transition. This will smooth its path towards achieving the CO2 neutralization goal, set for 2050 by the Green Deal.
“Space activities play a critical role for a sustainable future and not just a green future – stress the delegated authority for space policy Vittorio Colao – Particularly for a country like Italy, coastal surveillance and protection, fire detection, prevention and management of natural disasters are essential services that Earth Watch can implement.”

Today’s appointment focused on the purpose to be presented at the Space Summit to be held on February 16 in Toulouse, France, and then materialized at the European Space Agency’s Ministerial Council, on November 23 and 24, 2022 in Paris.