The European Space Agency (ESA) is actively evaluating various options for programs affected by proposed significant budget reductions at NASA. Simultaneously, ESA is pursuing an expansion of collaborations with other nations. Following a June 12th ESA Council meeting, agency officials reported extensive discussions regarding NASA’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal (released May 30th). This proposal, if enacted, would significantly impact science and exploration initiatives involving both agencies, including Artemis and Earth science programs. “We are impacted on quite a number of domains that, at least for the moment, are proposed for cancellations or reductions,” stated Josef Aschbacher, ESA director general. “We are doing our homework in analyzing what is the impact and what could be options and measures we could take in order to make sure that investments that have been made by our member states are utilized in the best possible way.”
This assessment includes potential actions ESA could take at its ministerial conference in late November, where member states will determine funding levels for the next three years. The completion of a final 2026 spending bill for NASA before this meeting is unlikely. “We need to assess on one side how much does it cost to wait,” Aschbacher noted, “and how long can we wait, because there are decision points coming up on our side.”
The potential NASA budget cuts have wide-ranging effects across ESA, highlighting the substantial cooperation between the two agencies. The most significant impacts are in exploration, with the proposed termination of the Orion spacecraft (after Artemis 3), for which ESA provides the service module, and the cancellation of the lunar Gateway, Mars Sample Return (MSR), and NASA support for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover mission. Daniel Neuenschwander, director of human and robotic exploration at ESA, confirmed that work on these projects continues. “Of course, we anticipate options,” he said, mentioning the exploration of potential alternative uses for the Orion service module and the Earth Return Orbiter for MSR with industry partners. The delivery of the service module (ESM) for Artemis 4, scheduled for this year, is also proceeding. “We are studying with the industry consortium delivering the European service modules some alternative missions for ESM,” he explained. “We will continue to deliver the ESM as long as they are needed.”
Carole Mundell, ESA director of science, stated, “We obviously have done our due diligence” in analyzing the NASA budget proposal. She pointed out that ESA operates 19 space science missions in collaboration with NASA, 16 of which can continue with effective planning to mitigate the impact of potential NASA cuts. However, three missions – the EnVision mission to Venus, the LISA gravitational wave observatory, and New Athena, an X-ray observatory – will require ESA to take “recovery actions.” These missions are in early development stages, and ESA relies on substantial NASA contributions. “We value deeply the collaboration with NASA but we do have the technical capabilities in Europe today should it be necessary” to proceed independently, she added.
In Earth observation, the proposed NASA budget cuts could affect missions such as Sentinel-6C. Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s director of Earth observation, indicated that ESA is exploring options should NASA withdraw from these missions, while acknowledging the ongoing assessment of the budget cuts’ implications on other joint initiatives. Aschbacher emphasized that ESA maintains “close interactions” with NASA on the budget proposal and has received briefings from NASA officials. “We have a very open and transparent working relationship,” he confirmed.
ESA highlighted its extensive international partnerships, suggesting potential expansion even if cooperation with NASA diminishes. “ESA is probably the agency that has the most international cooperation agreements,” Aschbacher stated, citing over 300 agreements. “So we do have already a network, a very strong network, of international cooperation.” He emphasized ESA’s reputation as a reliable partner and its commitment to fulfilling its obligations, including seeking “reinforced partnerships” with other countries to offset potential reductions in NASA collaboration. This includes a May agreement with ISRO for human spaceflight cooperation, potentially enabling ESA astronauts to visit ISRO’s planned space station in the 2030s. Strengthened cooperation with Canada is also anticipated.
Regarding China, Aschbacher noted limited existing collaboration in science, such as the Smile mission scheduled for launch later this year. “Apart from that at the moment, we have not initiated new discussions with China, so this is at the moment not on our horizon.”