Space Programs Archive

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on a range of countries’ space priorities and programs. The European Space Agency (ESA) expects that its Schiaparelli module will land on Mars on Oct. 19 for a brief mission to study what causes dust storms on the planet. In an email interview, Thomas Hoerber, a professor at the ESSCA School of Management, discusses the ESA’s mission and its relationship to the European Union. WPR: What are the European Space Agency’s space capabilities and who are its major international partners, in terms of space diplomacy and commercial ties? Thomas […]

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on a range of countries’ space priorities and programs. The Russian state space corporation Roscosmos announced that it plans to reduce the number of cosmonauts at the International Space Station from three to two in a bid to improve efficiency and reduce costs. In an email interview, Asif Siddiqi, a professor at Fordham University, discussed Russia’s space program. WPR: What are Russia’s space capabilities, in terms of its space-industrial complex, and who are its major international partners, in terms of space diplomacy and commercial ties? Asif Siddiqi: The Russian […]