Matosinhos Manifesto

WHY IN THE NEWS?

European Space Agency (ESA) Council approved the Matosinhos Manifesto to accelerate the use of space in Europe.

About:

• By accelerating the use of space in Europe, Matosinhos Manifesto aims to tackle the unprecedented societal, economic and security challenges faced by Europe and its citizens.
• This resolution defines three “accelerators” to further advance Europe’s space ambitions.
• The first accelerator is for the ESA to work towards the ‘Space for a Green Future’, so that people are better able to understand the current state of Earth and to develop scenarios and solutions for sustainable life here.
  • This is in line with achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets by the year 2050.
• Second accelerator ‘Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response’ aims to support governments to act decisively on crises facing Europe, from flooding and storms to wildfires.
• The third accelerator is ‘Protection of Space Assets’, whose objective is to safeguard ESA astronauts and assets from interference by space debris and space weather.
• Other than this, the council recognised two “inspirators” to reinforce European management in science, expertise growth and inspiration,

1. An icy moon pattern return mission and
2. Human space exploration.