Space chief hopes for ‘Kennedy moment’ from European leaders

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — The head of the European Space Agency says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights the need for the continent to become less dependent on other nations. Josef Aschbacher told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that the collapse of a joint Mars mission with Russia was “a wake up call on how Europe needs to position itself.” While he’s hopeful NASA may be able to help out on that mission, in the long term Europe needs to be able to carry them out itself. He praised a recent speech by French President Emmanuel Macron calling for a bolder European space policy, and expressed hope that there would be a similar ‘Kennedy moment’ in other countries on the continent.