At the end of November, delegations from the European Space Agency's 18 member states will meet in the Hague to decide the course of Europe's space programme over the next three years.
Ministers from these countries will be invited to endorse a range of new programmes, including Europe's flagship rover mission ExoMars, and an ambitious international venture to return rocks and soil from the Red Planet.
Also under consideration are Europe's plans to participate in a manned space transportation system.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7735753.stm
How to spend at least 9bn euros is the question facing European science ministers gathering in The Hague.
The 18 member states of the European Space Agency (Esa) are meeting in the Dutch city to approve policies and programmes for the next three years.
They will sanction funding for ongoing activities, such as Esa's involvement in the space station; but they will also initiate a range of new projects.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7744270.stm
Member states of the European space agency (Esa) have agreed a 10bn-euro budget at their meeting in The Hague.
The figure, which covers the next three to five years, represents a substantial increase in funding.
Ministers said the investment in space would help European industry pull through the current economic downturn.
The new money will help build new Earth observation satellites, maintain Esa's participation in the space station, and fund probes to the planets.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7749761.stm
The European Space Agency (Esa) is to open a research centre in the UK.
The facility, which will be based on the Harwell innovation campus in Oxfordshire, will concentrate on space robotics and climate change science.
Currently, Britain is the only major member state of Esa not to host one of its technical centres.
More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7749673.stm
The European Space Agency and Innovation minister Lord Drayson have signed an agreement to build a research centre at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.
The centre will focus on space robots and innovative power sources including development of ExoMars - a robotic probe which will search for life on Mars. It will also model climate change using data from space.
More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/11/27/uk_space_reseach/