ESA Strategy Director Heriberto Saldivar introduces the European Space Agency Strategy 2040 and explains how Europe can help build a space future.
In April 2025, the European Space Agency (ESA) released Strategy 2040, a blueprint for future activities and medium-term priorities that will help realize the European space agenda. The strategy sets targets for the next 15 years and is designed to reflect the changes brought about by an increasingly turbulent geopolitical environment. This strategy is the longest vision ever set by the ESA and follows Agenda 2025. This is five important priorities for Europe to maintain and expand its plans for the benefit of all.
To find out more about Strategy 2040, its key goals, and how it can be developed, editor Georgie Purcell spoke with Heriberto Saldivar, the Strategy Director at the ESA, who led the strategy creation.
Please tell us more about Strategy 2040 and how it was developed.
Strategy 2040 is a joint development between the ESA and its member states. For over two years, we have been working on developing a comprehensive strategy that spans Europe.
ESA has been developing space solutions for member countries for 50 years, and we have always had a short-term vision and medium- and short-term goals. Some general directories, such as the Science Bureau, have longer-term goals to address the complexity of a particular mission. However, ESA agendas usually focus on one strategy, one general directorate, or shorter periods. Strategy 2040 is the first time an agency has decided to build something longer.
The world is changing so fast that guidelines need to be implemented to avoid wasting resources. 2040 is 15 years from now. It’s long enough to give us a long-term vision to begin developing a particular idea, but it’s short enough to see the change.
Development of Strategy 2040 was a long practice. First, it was necessary to establish commonalities between the 23 member states and their cooperative and associate members. We analyzed their space strategies, space laws, and how space permeates society. He also conducted a very in-depth analysis of national policies and priorities in areas such as transportation, education, health, ecology and defense. This gave me an idea of future directions.
At the same time, we wanted to understand what our industry partners were doing and whether our activities were consistent. We also conducted analysis of strategies from NASA, Japan, India, China, South Korea, the Middle East and other space countries. This allowed us to develop a global view with great consideration of the major challenges facing the world. For example, the World Economic Forum shares its annual global risks, reporting some of the most serious risks it faces in the coming years. This is a changing trend in society, climate and political landscapes. The foresightful team in our department reviewed a variety of scenarios and considered ways to develop something robust.
The development process included people from the ESA, industry and younger generations. It is very important to build something that reflects future needs but also has experience from senior peers. We worked closely with our Member States. Member States have given us extremely intense and constant feedback to understand where we can find a common foundation. In addition to the needs of the European Union, we also looked at the Atlantic situation in the Asia-Pacific region and the work of international partners.
The strategy is based on five theme goals, each assigned a specific goal. These are: Protect our planet and climate. Explore and discover. Strengthen European autonomy and resilience. It will increase Europe’s growth and competitiveness. It stimulates Europe.
Our goal of protecting our planets and climate is not only related to climate change and sustainability, but also how we protect the orbit around the planet and how we protect the Earth from external events such as space weather that can disrupt things like communications and the power grid.
Exploration and discovery encompasses factors such as European exploration ambitions, travel to the Moon and Mars, low Earth orbits, and scientific benefits derived from them. This also relates to finding some of the biggest answers we do on our mission, including physics, gravity, matter, and the forces that shape it.
The goal of strengthening European autonomy and resilience is at the heart of two key points. The first one is about access to space and mobility. If Europe wants to go to space, there’s a way to do so. When we went through the launcher crisis a few years ago, we learned this the hard way. Currently, Europe has access to space, but we need to make sure this access is autonomous and competitive. The second point relates to our citizens. Space is about benefiting our society and is intertwined with our economy. We need to think about technologies such as connectivity, location, navigation, timing, and Earth observation to create a more connected and safe future for our citizens. This also links disaster mitigation and emergency response. If we can’t keep our citizens safe, we can’t dream of a bright future.
The fourth goal focuses on growing and increasing competitiveness in Europe. Europe is incredible in developing technology and needs to maintain this momentum. The first goal is to take the lead in new technologies and new capabilities, but Europe needs to strengthen how it implements its industrial capabilities. This is what is necessary to unlock new markets, promote economic growth and make Europe a commercial hub for the economy. The UK is a well-known centre for venture capital, so colleagues from the UK Space Agency provide a lot of support in this area.
The final goal is to inspire Europe. Europe as a continent is great, especially when we work together. We want to strengthen the European space ecosystem, bring together all major European stakeholders and work together as a continent. It is also important that we inspire people. I think the universe could really inspire the fires of children and younger generations that develop these abilities for the future.
How can the wider space sector work with ESA to achieve the Strategy 2040 goals and strengthen Europe’s position in the global space market?
This is something I’ve talked to with many people in the industry. They are very eager to see where we are heading. If you are planning on hiring, future budgets, etc., you need to know that there is stability to use for your career path and development. The industry is very keen to see what we are presenting. Because they can see a long-term vision.
At the same time as Strategy 2040 has been released, Technology Vision 2040 has been released. Not all of them are things that may become viable in the near future, but they are paths that we think are important to explore.
We plan to sit down with the industry and discuss ideas. We want to industrialize Europe, but factories are expensive investments. Of all else, preparing machines and supply chains is not something that can be achieved in just a few years. It takes time to build it. This is something the industry wants to see. Because if they see the path, they can see where they are heading. This also links to member states and national priorities. Because if we are in line with them, the industry is in line with them.
Strategy 2040 follows the culmination of Agenda 2025. What were the important points for the future?
Agenda 2025 was the cornerstone that built many steps for Strategy 2040. Agenda 2025 was a very first step towards getting things right. At the beginning of the current Director-General (DG) duties, he recognized the agency needs to adapt, and the priorities listed on the agenda reflected the need for this change.
Our top priority was to strengthen ESA-EU relations. Our DG can do this very successfully and continue to move forward with it.
The next goal was to increase the commercialization of green and digital Europe. First, we created the Bureau of Commercialization (CIC). This allowed us to expand and explore ways of commercialization. But while it’s difficult for agents who have worked in traditional ways for 50 years to adapt to the new world, the work done by the CIC team has made things more dynamic and we continue to learn and grow.
Objective 3 was to develop a space for safety and security. This is something we continue to prioritize. Since the agenda was presented in 2021, the security situation has become increasingly important and therefore we are strengthening our work in this field.
The final two points on the agenda are more internal, completing the program’s assignments and ESA conversions. To address these issues, we had to work internally at the ESA and be more efficient using new methods and technologies. This is a really intense exercise across the agency and we are on the right track.
I think Agenda 2025 was a warm-up and gave us a solid foundation to build and deliver Strategy 2040.
Strategy 2040 is a long-term plan, but what can we expect in the near future?
We have many priorities and we need to be able to set footstones to reach. Some of them are centered around the zero debris circular economy – ensuring we are responsible and ensure sustainable use of space. We have implemented many things, such as Zero Debris Charter. This should become an integral part of how new missions and the next steps are developed.
I also want to see the presence of European humans on the moon. This is what we are working on. We are committed to building our capabilities to strengthen our European presence through low-earth orbits and exploration.
The pipeline also has many missions and initiatives, particularly science missions such as Newathena, the largest X-ray observation deck ever built. At the same time, one of the priorities we really think are important is to strengthen European autonomy and resilience. We are working very hard on a program called European Resilience from Space (ERS) that develops cutting-edge solutions for disaster and emergency prediction and management. This is important to ensure that citizens are safe. We need to look out from the sky and tell us about the movements that are happening. And you can’t wait for the satellite to move until something specific happens. To ensure constant monitoring, you will need to change the trajectory a little. To receive support, we need to be able to communicate information live to citizens and security guards (such as police, rescue services).
It is also important to position Europe as a commercial hub. Europe is in a very interesting position right now. It is a stable place where we can bring and attract talent, and a place where we can develop hubs to attract investment. We must be able to develop the industry. We are very good at creating new technologies, but we need to work hard to expand this.
What are the main messages you want to deliver in the Strategy 2040 release?
We want to give Europe a dream.
Europe is at the heart of steam, electricity, and even flight, and even incredible changes in the world. Very poetic, we “transformed the European Age of Enlightenment into Astrologers into Scientists and Alchemists into Chemists, marking the turning point that brought deep change and progress to the world.” We need to go back to that spirit.
Europe knows how to build, and we believe that space will become one of these things that really enhance us. Strategy 2040 will bring this hope back to our citizens and say, “Yes, the world is difficult. We have many challenges, but let’s dare to dream. Let’s push something there and build a future that we want to live in.”
Let’s dare Europe to dream and truly return to what we are doing our best and help us build our future.
This article will also be featured in the 23rd edition of Quarterly Publication.
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