Davos 2026: ESA Director call attention to space as mission-critical at WEF26
Date: 2026-01-25
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
At
the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, European Space Agency (ESA) Director
General Josef Aschbacher has emphasized the rising strategic importance of
space for economies, governments, and society. Speaking at multiple panels,
Aschbacher noted that space technologies underpin critical services in 11 of 16
essential societal sectors, including telecommunications, navigation, climate
monitoring, disaster response, energy systems, and financial transactions.
The
ESA chief highlighted the global space economy’s growth trajectory, currently
valued at €550 billion and projected to reach €1.8 trillion by 2035, driven by
startups, investors, and non-traditional commercial actors. To adapt, ESA is
advancing Strategy 2040, focusing on deep-tech innovation, supporting startups
and SMEs, promoting commercialization across the space value chain, and
attracting private investment to strengthen Europe’s industrial base.
Beyond
economic impact, Aschbacher underlined space’s societal value, citing programs
like Copernicus, which provide essential data for policymaking, emergency
response, agriculture, and environmental protection. He stressed ESA’s
commitment to responsible innovation, including orbital sustainability, and
positioned space as a unifying domain amid geopolitical fragmentation,
fostering international cooperation and shared scientific endeavor.
Aschbacher
concluded that space is no longer a niche sector but a critical infrastructure,
growth engine, and societal enabler, urging continued awareness of its
expanding role in the global economy, society, and environmental
sustainability.
