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# Aschbacher says launcher independence is ESA's top priority
- URL: https://sovereigntymonitor.eu/news/2025-10-27-aschbacher-launcher-independence-interview/
- Published: 2025-10-27T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-13T12:02:56.000Z
- Description: ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said access to space through Europe's own launchers is the "number one priority". He noted Europe holds over 20 percent of global GDP but only about 10 percent of public space spending, against 60 percent for the US.
- Author: Reidar Balstad
- Tags: Defence and space, #news, #verified, #opinion, #editor-read

Verified Opinion Editor-read [Groupe d'Études Géopolitiques, 27 October 2025](https://geopolitique.eu/en/2025/10/27/a-conversation-with-josef-aschbacherdirector-general-of-the-european-space-agency-esa/?ref=sovereigntymonitor.eu)

**What it does not test.** Does not establish any new funding decision; it records Aschbacher's own stated priorities.

**How this item counts.** This item is dated before the index starts on 1 January 2026, so it does not count in the [European Sovereignty Index](https://sovereigntymonitor.eu/sovereignty-index/).

**How this item was made.** Drafted by an AI system (Claude (Anthropic)) from the source cited above; read and approved by the editor on 2026-10-13\. [How the record is made](https://sovereigntymonitor.eu/method/#how-the-record-is-made)