EN    EN EN 
EN    EN  EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Brussels, 4.4.2011 
SEC(2011) 381 final 
  
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT  
 
  
Accompanying document to the 
 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC  AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 
  
TOWARDS A SPACE STRATEGY FOR THE EU ROPEAN UNION THAT BENEFITS ITS 
CITIZENS 
  
SEC(2011) 380 final 
COM(2011) 152 final 
EN 2   EN 1. INTRODUCTION  
This IA will accompany a communication on the fu ture involvement of the EU in space. The 
Communication does not amount to a formal pro posal. Any such proposal would have to be 
accompanied by another impact assessment that would analyse the financial impact in a 
detailed manner.  
While Galileo and GMES remain the first priorities of the EU in space, the present IA focuses on the other priority ar eas identified by th e 2008 Space Council 
Resolution
1 on taking forward the European Space Policy. 
The political context of the communication is framed by article 189 of the TFEU which 
introduces a clear competence for the EU to act in space matters. 
2. PROBLEM DEFINITION  
2.1. Security of critical European spa ce infrastructures is not ensured 
The EU does not at present have full and accura te information on satellites and debris orbiting 
the Earth, on the space environment (e.g. radiat ion bursts) and possible threats coming from 
space (near Earth objects). This  lack of information constitu tes a major risk to space 
infrastructure.  
2.2. Europe lacks a long-term strategy and critical mass for space exploration 
Space exploration gives nations involved in it a high political profile in the international 
arena. It is also a driver for technological i nnovation whose spin-offs have enhanced citizens’ 
lives to a scale that is not often realised by the general public. 
Space exploration requires a political thrust, a vision and a strategy to carry it through which 
Europe lacks at present. Space exploration activ ities are also fragmented and isolated from 
non-space sectors. This is detrimental to Euro pe from an international standpoint, does not 
allow space exploration potential  for innovation and competitiveness to materialise and could 
have negative effect on science and education2. 
2.3. Space policies and investments are decide d at national/intergovernmental level 
The space sector is largely driv en by national public funding spen t either directly or via a 
contribution to ESA3. As a consequence: 
– Space initiatives only indirectly respond to  broader European policy objectives; 
                                                 
1 5th Space Council Resolution, “Takin g forward the European Space Policy”, 26 September 2008. 
2 Conclusions of the workshops “Space exploration and innovation,  industrial competitiveness and 
technology advance” and “Science and ed ucation within space exploration”,  
http://ec.europa.eu/enterp rise/policies/space/esp/conferences_space_en.htm. 
3 The big European space powers (FR, DE, IT) contri bute about half of thei r national space budgets to 
ESA, most other countries consider ESA as their sp ace agency and contribute most or all the national 
space budget to ESA. 
EN 3   EN – National space policies' target is national in dustry, which may be detrimental to the 
competitive development of th e European space industry; 
– There is a risk of overlaps, fragmentation and discontinuity of the activities in the 
European space sector. 
2.4. National investments for dedicated space programmes cannot sufficiently 
address the needs of EU policies and interventions 
There is wide recognition that future space developments in areas such as security or space 
exploration and the exploitation of space infras tructures and space-based applications require 
a coordinated funding approach. 
Due to the fragmentation of national decision ma king channels, space governance frameworks 
and lack of coordination of funding mechanisms, investment in essential space activities such 
as SSA4 or space exploration cannot acqui re the necessary critical mass. 
3. ANALYSIS OF SUBSIDIARITY  
The present initiative does not seek to repla ce but rather complement  action taken by Member 
States individually or in the framework of ESA and reinforce coordination where it is 
necessary to achieve  common objectives. 
4. OBJECTIVES  
General Objectives Specific Objectives 
(1) to promote scientific and technical progress; 
(2) to promote innovation and industrial 
competitiveness; 
(3) to ensure citizens’ well being derived from 
space-based applications 
(4) to enhance the EU profile in space at world 
level. 
 (1) Ensure the long-term availability and security 
of European space infrastructures and 
services; 
(2) Ensure that the EU is in a position to fulfil the 
coordination role in exploration that article 
189 of the Treaty calls for and to capitalise on the space exploration potential to contribute 
to the objectives of the EU 2020 strategy; 
(3) Ensure the conditions n ecessary to guarantee 
European access to space and on-orbit 
infrastructures; 
(4) Ensure convergence of national and EU 
policies and investment in the field of SSA 
and space exploration as well as convergence between action in these two areas and other 
EU policies; 
(5) Ensure a leading and strategic role for the EU 
                                                 
4 Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is the comprehe nsive knowledge, understanding and maintained 
awareness of the population of space objects (spacecraft  such as satellites or sp ace debris), of the space 
environment, and of the existing threats/risks to space  operations. SSA systems rely on ground or space 
based tracking and monitoring sensors. 
EN 4   EN in space at global level and in particular in 
international negotiations related to SSA and 
space exploration. 
 
5. POLICY OPTIONS  
5.1. Option 1: Baseline 
The EU would not invest in security of critical  European space infrastructures nor engage in 
space exploration efforts. This would not affect the implementation of the other EU flagships in space, Galileo and GMES, but their long-term s ecurity and sustainability could be affected. 
The situation described under problem  definition is likely to remain. 
5.2. Option 2: Security in space dimension  
This option proposes a European Space Situa tional Awareness System designed to protect 
critical European space infrastructures from th e risk of collision betw een spacecraft or with 
space debris, near-earth objects
5 and space weather. The option covers the federation of 
existing capabilities and acquisi tion of components necessary to complete the system as well 
as the maintenance and operation of SSA ground and space systems. 
International cooperation, particul arly with the US, would be an important element in the 
implementation of this option. 
First indicative estimates for a fully deployed European system as from 2014 are assessed at 
€130 million per year (in 2009 prices). 
5.3. Option 3: Option 2 plus limited involvement in space exploration  
The EU would extend the space expl oration activities and coordina tion in Europe, jointly with 
the Member States and ESA. This scenario has two main components: 
– Participation in the ISS6 
This would allow enhanced EU presence in th e ISS through an EU astronaut corps based 
upon the existing ESA corps and increased possi bilities for missions, gradually placed under 
direct European control and ulti mately leading to a European cr ew transportation system. This 
                                                 
5 Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), comets and asteroids whose orbits bring them  close to the Earth, are a rare 
but dramatic danger for Earth. 
6 The International Space Station (ISS) is a permanen tly inhabited space station orbiting the Earth at 400 
km altitude for peaceful purposes. Its design, deve lopment, operation and utilisation are based on the 
Inter Governmental Agreement signed in 1998 between 15 International Partners. The ISS is managed 
by ESA (Europe), NASA (USA), Roscosmos (Russia), CSA (Canada) and JAXA (Japan).  
EN 5   EN option includes testing for sustainable human presence in space beyond LEO7. The cost 
estimate is in the order of €300 million per year. 
– Launch infrastructures 
The EU would contribute towards the adaptatio n of launch infrastructure to accommodate the 
evolution of the Ariane-5 launcher and toward s adaptation and operational maintenance of the 
European Spaceport (Guyana Space Centre). The average EU contribution is estimated in the 
order of €100 million per year. 
Both components will be implemented through ESA. 
5.4. Option 4: Option 3 plus substantia l investment in space exploration 
This option adds to option 3 the developm ent of human access to space and robotic 
exploration to Mars. 
– Human access to space 
Under this option the European ca rgo transfer vehicle (ATV) would be enhan ced to be able to 
return payloads safely to Earth (i.e. Advanced Re-entry Vehicle, ARV) for better utilisation of 
the ISS and providing a bartering capacity8. In a second step the ARV would be improved and 
upgraded to transport crew to and back from LEO (ARV-Crew). The fina ncial intervention of 
the EU would be around €800 million per year for 2014-2020. 
– Mars sample return mission 
The EU will contribute towards a first Mars sample return mission to be launched by the 
middle of the next decade. An annual average EU contribution of about €100 million per year 
would be needed in the peri od 2014-2020. This funding could cove r the technical facility to 
which the samples would be returned. 
The implementation of EU space exploration activities would be delegated to ESA. 
International cooperation would be es sential for both options 3 and 4. 
6. ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS  
6.1. Option 1: Baseline scenario 
Under this scenario the EU  would not fund neither SSA nor space exploration. The 
problems connected to the absence of an SSA system and the lack of EU 
involvement in space expl oration will persist. 
                                                 
7 Low Earth Orbit (LEO), generally considered to be an orbit at an altitude of 400 to 1000 km. 
8 The ISS partnership is based on a non-exchange of funds; any contribution to the ISS is in-kind, 
providing exchange possibilities for flight opportunities, hardware and services.  
EN 6   EN 6.2. Option 2 
6.2.1.  Economic Impact 
The results from this intervention will reduc e the risk of economic loss due to damage 
(including total destruction) of spacecraft and lead to im proved space security including 
security for human crew in space and citizen s on Earth. The intervention regarding space 
weather could lead to benefits in other sectors, such as the aviation and electricity sectors. 
Activities in the area of SSA and securing space infrastructures from threats can also impact 
the competitiveness of the European space industry. 
6.2.2.  Environmental impact 
Better information on space weather may result in  better knowledge of climate change and 
earth weather. More acc urate information on meteors will re duce the adverse affects of debris 
and meteors striking Earth. 
6.2.3.  Social impact 
Protecting space assets ensures that important se rvices will keep functioning even in case of 
major disruption of terrestrial systems. 
6.3. Option 3 
6.3.1.  Economic impact 
• Activities foreseen under option 3 will involve expenditure on a wide range of areas, 
including technology demonstration and hard ware or processes development. These 
products and services are delivered by and be nefit a wide range of public and private 
institutions and manu facturers in Europe. 
The EU expenditure on space exploration can be expected to translate directly into turnover 
for the space industry by a minimum estimate d factor of 2.3, implying that €100 million spent 
on space exploration will result in €230 million in supplying industries and new products. The 
most significant spill-over impact on non-space sector s is expected in the field of life support, 
health and wellbeing9. 
6.3.2.  Environmental impact 
• Space exploration will enhance the understandi ng of our own environment, which in turn 
will result in better definition of environmen tal policies. It will have positive effects in 
areas such as air quality management a nd regeneration, energy production, storage and 
distribution technologies,  and water management. 
                                                 
9 “Space exploration and innovation, industrial comp etitiveness and technolo gy advance”, Workshop 
conclusions and recommendations, 29-30 April 2010, Harwell (UK);  
http://ec.europa.eu/enterp rise/policies/space/esp/conferences_space_en.htm. 
EN 7   EN 6.3.3.  Social impact 
• An EU intervention in space exploration is exp ected to lead to social impacts in terms of 
employment, labour market structure and ed ucation, and health. The US Space Shuttle 
programme had an employment  multiplier factor of 2.8. 
• The space environment offers unique possibiliti es to study health problems related to 
various diseases, aging or immobility. Other soci etal benefits will be derived in the fields 
of energy, health, biotechnology, environment or security. 
6.4. Option 4  
6.4.1.  Economic impact 
• The rationale for economic impact described under option 3 applies to option 4 as well. 
The potential economic impacts will be co mmensurate with the increased funding. 
Space exploration programmes are essential in order to maintain the competitiveness of 
current and next generati on of European launchers. 
• Due to the various technologies  needed a large number of hi gh-tech applications in the 
biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry ar e foreseen, e.g. bio-containment, tele-
operations including remote mi cro-robotics, automated handling and storage systems and 
micro-analytical systems10. 
• The profile of the EU at global le vel will be significantly enhanced. 
6.4.2.  Environmental impact 
By dealing with topics such as comparative planetary climatology or earth observation from 
the ISS, research related to space exploration would help understand climate change on Earth. 
6.4.3.  Social impact 
Space exploration will contribute to developing global scientific leadership for Europe. Space 
exploration activities will fost er the public interest in sp ace science and technology, and will 
encourage young people to take up scien ce, technology, engineering and maths. 
• There will be a substantial positive imp act on creating new, qualified jobs. ESA11 estimates 
that an investment of the magnitude proposed  under option 4 will lead  to the creation of 
3000 highly qualified direct jobs. With a possible em ployment factor of 2,812 overall 
employment generated by this option could accrue to more than 8000 jobs. 
                                                 
10 “Space exploration and innovation, industrial comp etitiveness and technolo gy advance”, Workshop 
conclusions and recommendations, 29-30 April 2010, Harwell (UK);  http://ec.europa.eu/enterp rise/policies/space/esp/conferences_space_en.htm. 
11 Data provided by the European Space Agency. 
12 Jerome Schnee, The Economic Impact of th e US Space Programme, Rutgers University,  
 
EN 8   EN 7. COMPARISON OF THE OPTIONS  
Options Effectiveness Efficiency Coherence 
Option 1 • Option 1 will not achieve the specific 
objectives of this action. The funding 
would be available for other initiatives. Not applicable This option is not consistent with the EU2020 growth 
strategy, which emphasises the key importance of 
innovation and industrial competitiveness and refers to the development of space policy as instrument to achieve the 
goals of such strategy.  
Option 2 This option achieves specific objectives (1) 
regarding long term availability and security of European space infrastructures and services 
and partly objective (4) regarding the 
convergence of national and EU policies and 
investments on SSA and the connection of 
these and other EU policies. Option 2 entails an expenditure of €130 million per year . An 
SSA system could save as a minimum over €240 million per year. This option diminishes the risk of domino effect due to 
spacecraft destruction. It has important social benefits 
resulting from avoiding the disruption of satellite based 
services, better prevention of electricity grid failure as well as 
the impacts of NEOs. Positive impact on environment notably by learning mo re from space weather. This option is partly but not fully coherent with the 
EU2020 growth strategy. While SSA represents certain potential for innovation and growth, its main purpose is 
the protection of space infr astructure. The innovation 
potential in space exploration is not addressed in this 
option. 
Option 3 This option achieves obj ectives (1), (2) and 
(4), but only in part objectives (3) and (5). It 
does not fully guarantee independent access to on-orbit infrastructures. Option 3 will give EU 
a higher profile in space matters but not the 
leading and strategic role referred to in objective 5. Option 3 entails an additional expenditure of €400 million 
per year. The total for this option is €530 million per year . 
Conservative estimates put the rate of return for investment in space exploration at 2.3 and employment factor at 2.8. 
Other significant impacts on Europe's visibility and 
innovation potential, the crea tion of qualified high-skilled 
jobs and beneficial  spin-off effects. Option 3 is fully consistent with the EU2020 strategy; it 
will contribute to innovation and derive spill-over benefits 
in many areas and EU policies including health and environment. 
Option 4 This option will achieve the five objectives 
identified. The rationale described for option 3 applies to option 4. This 
option adds €900 million per year, the total being €1.43 
billion per year . Option 4 represents an enormous 
technological challenge whic h will accelerate the pace of 
technological progress and multiply the spill-off and spill-
over benefits for our economy and citizens. From the coherence standpoint, this option is similar to 
option 3. 
 
 
EN 9   EN 8. MONITORING AND EVALUATION  
The present impact assessment will accompany a Communication on the future involvement 
of the EU in space which could pave the way for a European Space Programme proposal. Detailed provision for monitoring and evaluation will be discussed in that Impact Assessment for that proposal. 
***