Europe boosts space budget to 22.1 billion euros for independence

Europe's Space Agency secured a record 22.1 billion euro budget to boost its programs and achieve greater independence in space. The funding, committed by 23 member states, will support scientific missions, Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications, and bolster defense cooperation. This represents a significant increase over previous budgets. The budget aims to counter dominance by U.S. and Chinese companies and includes plans for reusable rockets and potential contributions to lunar missions.