Kretschmann, Söder and Bovenschulte: Space travel needs more money!

Kretschmann, Söder and Bovenschulte: Space travel needs more money!

On June 5, 2025, the heads of government of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Bremen expressed the urgency of investing more in space travel in a joint statement. The politicians Markus Söder, Winfried Kretschmann and Andreas Bovenschulte emphasized space travel as a key area for innovation, economic competitiveness and technological sovereignty. In view of global developments, they draw attention to the central importance of space travel for Europe's security.

Kretschmann warned urgently against a growing dependence on private companies like SpaceX. This dependence could jeopardize Europe's defense capability. Concerns were also raised about NASA's planned budget cuts, which he said could have a negative impact on European space travel. The city of Bremen, which could be affected due to its existing cooperation with NASA, is particularly concerned.

Reactions to NASA's budget cuts

The $6 billion in cuts, which the White House describes as a “space revitalization,” are causing international shock. The scientific community is calling for a rethink. Josef Aschbacher, the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), has informed NASA of the consequences of these measures and is currently discussing joint projects. He emphasizes the importance of cooperation in space and points out that the budget request is only the beginning of the approval process in the US Congress.

Aschbacher explained that the last word had not yet been spoken. ESA plans to carry out a comprehensive assessment of possible measures and alternative scenarios for the affected programs at its June Council meeting. A ministerial Council meeting will also take place by the end of the year to expand Europe's space potential.

With the jointly expressed call for a stronger European space agency and new collaborations, Kretschmann, Söder and Bovenschulte want to ensure that Europe continues to play a relevant role in global space travel in the future. Söder discussed that a weakened NASA would question his ideas about the future of space travel, while Bovenschulte underlined the possible negative effects of the budget cuts on Bremen.

Developments in space, in particular the relationship between ESA and NASA, therefore remain a central issue for the countries involved, which are committed to investment and independent European space travel.

For further information you can consult the reports from Deutschlandfunk and Border science current be consulted.