The ESA Council concluded its 345th meeting with decisions that advance Europe's human spaceflight, strengthen international partnerships and enhance planetary defence capabilities.
Held in Interlaken, Switzerland, from 18 to 19 March 2026, the Council opened with expressions of appreciation from ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and ESA Member States to the Swiss delegation and Council Chair Renato Krpoun for hosting this meeting and for Switzerland's longstanding support to the agency.
The Council discussed key strategic priorities for the agency, including the implementation of decisions taken during the Council meeting at Ministerial level in November 2025 (CM25), and the next steps in strengthening Europe's space capabilities.
EPIC mission concept endorsed
The Council endorsed the concept of EPIC (ESA Provided Institutional Crew) mission to the International Space Station (ISS). EPIC is designed to maximise Europe's strategic use, scientific in particular, of the ISS in its remaining years and aligns with the E3P goal, which is to "provide regular flight opportunities for ESA astronauts". The concept foresees acquiring a Crew Dragon mission in the first quarter of 2028 for a medium-duration mission on the ISS, in collaboration with interested international partners.
ESA-JAXA cooperation on RAMSES defined
Member States approved ESA-JAXA cooperation on Ramses, a mission to study asteroid Apophis in detail. JAXA intends to contribute a thermal infrared imager (TIRI), lightweight solar array wings and the H3 launcher, marking a significant step forward for planetary defence cooperation.
Canada deepens cooperation with ESA
The Council approved Canada's participation in the following ESA programmes: Accelerating Commercialisation and Competitiveness of the European Space Sector (ACCESS), European Resilience from Space - Earth Observation (ERS‑EO), Moonlight and FutureNAV. This decision follows Canada's largest subscription to ESA at CM25 since partnering with the agency in 1979.
ESA-EU cooperation
Member States reviewed progress on preparations for the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028-2034). It included a status of the legislative work in the EU on the proposed European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and the proposed 'EU Space Act'. With 40% of CM25 subscriptions aligned with future EU initiatives, ESA reiterates its readiness to act as the technical and system‑development agency for the EU Space Programme, while advocating for an inclusive approach for all EU and ESA Member States.
Space safety
Member States approved the collaboration with the Carnegie Institution for Science to host and operate ESA's FlyEye‑2 telescope at Las Campanas Observatory (Chile), expanding Europe's capability to detect and track near-Earth objects.
Internal organisation
The Council designated Juan Carlos Cortés Pulido, Head of the Spanish Delegation, as the new Chair of the ESA Council, and Tanja Permozer, Head of the Slovenian Delegation, together with Kimmo Kanto, Head of the Finnish Delegation, as Vice‑Chairs for a two‑year term starting on 1 July 2026. It also approved the renewal of Carole Mundell as Director of Science and Dietmar Pilz as Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality for second four‑year terms, running until 28 February 2031 and 30 April 2031, respectively.
Ethics and culture
The Council took note of the first Annual Activity Report of the ESA Ethics Ombudsperson, an independent contact point for ethical concerns and advice to management on strengthening ESA's culture of integrity. The report highlighted that ESA is a highly diverse and strongly engaged organisation navigating an important transformation, with a leadership that "demonstrates a clear commitment not only to doing the right things, but also to doing things right".
Two status reports made public
The Council took note of - and approved for public release - two status reports, underscoring the agency's commitment to transparency and accountability:
Status Report on Space Transportation Programmes
Status Report on Ground Systems Engineering and Operations
ESA-SSAU project fund
On the margins of the Council meeting, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher signed funding arrangements with Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA) Director General Ella Carlsson and the UK Space Agency (UKSA), represented by Paul Bate, enabling additional national contributions to the ESA-State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU) project fund. This builds on the Implementation Arrangement signed between ESA and SSAU on 30 October 2025, which covers seven demonstrator projects, and supports joint work with Ukrainian scientists, engineers and companies alongside ESA Member States.
