France to Invest €9 Billion in Space in Three Years

France will invest more than €9 billion in the space sector over the next three years. That amount already includes some approved funds.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced this on Sunday at an international space conference (IAC) in Paris. These “major investments” are part of the space strategy that President Emmanuel Macron laid out in February, Borne said.

“The main strategy is to maintain our autonomous access to space with Europe”, and for that “, we need strong resources and advanced research,” the prime minister said.

Philippe Baptiste, the French National Center for Space Studies president, is pleased with the announcement. “It’s an ambitious envelope, with nearly 25 percent more investment than in the past three years,” he told AFP.