Cabinet commits to achieving goals of Long-term Space Agenda

Space technology and satellite data are increasingly essential for safety, (vital) infrastructure, science, and sustainability. The Long-term Space Agenda (LTR) outlines six missions to improve the Dutch position in this sector. The Council of Ministers has agreed to the proposal from Minister Beljaarts of Economic Affairs to endorse the vision and ambitions in the LTR. This spring, the cabinet will also decide whether or not to provide any financial stimulus.

The House of Representatives has been informed about this cabinet response by Minister Beljaarts on behalf of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Infrastructure and Water Management, and Education, Culture and Science.

Minister Beljaarts: “The Netherlands is in a strong position to benefit from this growth market. Thanks to a solid foundation with strong companies, renowned knowledge institutions, and the presence of the technical headquarters of ESA: ESTEC in Noordwijk. The technologies in this sector make a proven contribution to our economy, safety, and infrastructure and are in line with the National Technology Strategy. At the same time, there is unfortunately a limited financial scope that requires choices. The cabinet will make those choices to achieve some important milestones from the agenda.”

Due to safety and economy, other countries are accelerating investments

Currently, the Dutch public space investment in European and national purposes amounts to €522 million up to and including 2025. Space technology creates over 10,000 jobs in the Netherlands, serves as a source of innovations in other sectors, and reduces strategic dependencies.

Other countries within and outside Europe have accelerated their investments in space, putting pressure on the Dutch position. The Netherlands currently does not meet the three-year investment standards (mandatory and optional) of the European Space Agency (ESA) and must take national steps for that. This can be achieved through a collaboration of ministries, businesses, and science. To take a step towards the ESA standard, at least €60 million per year is needed. The cabinet will make every effort to achieve the goals from the LTR within the budgetary frameworks, regardless of budgetary decision-making on this.

The missions in the long-term space agenda

1. safety, military capacity in space and (co-)developing satellite communication, navigation, and earth observation;
2. climate, global leader in measuring emissions and using satellite data for water and agriculture;
3. science, developing high-quality space instruments for scientific breakthroughs, and ensuring that this knowledge is also transferred to the market for non-space technology;
4. data, governments and service providers make better use of satellite data;
5. economic growth, sector turnover triples and better utilizing NL Space Campus;
6. working in European and international contexts on additional agreements for safe, responsible, and sustainable use of space.