ESA Science Programme budget

In its 50th anniversary year, European Space Agency (ESA) Member States recommitted to space science. A historic budget increase for the Science Programme of 3.5% per year through to 2028, in addition to inflation, will enable some of the most ambitious missions ever, and bolster European leadership in space science.

The raise was agreed at the ESA Council meeting at Ministerial Level (CM25) in November 2025. It secures the Science Programme € 3787 million for the next five years, equivalent to about € 1.70 per European citizen per year.

Over the last 20 years, the Science Programme has received a relatively stable budget, driving ESA to efficiently deliver some of the most iconic space science missions to date. From Rosetta to Euclid, Solar Orbiter to Juice, ESA has already built 53 missions that have resulted in over 94 000 scientific publications and generated over one million gigabytes of data shared with scientists around the world.

But to deliver the next generation of ambitious missions, the Science Programme needed a boost. This budget increase will allow ESA to take this next big step. And working in collaboration with companies and academic institutions across Europe, it will drive even more industrial and research capabilities across all ESA Member States.

Read more about the CM25 outcomes for the Science Programme

[Image description: A dark blue line chart shows a red trend line representing 'M€ 2025 e.c.' (million euros at 2025 economic conditions) from 2016 to 2028. The vertical axis ranges from 400 to 800, and the horizontal axis marks years with key milestones labelled: CM16 (2016), Space 19+ (2019), CM22 (2022), and CM25 (2025). The line starts around 640 in 2016, dips slightly by 2019, rises steadily to a peak near 680 in 2022, then declines to about 640 in 2024, before climbing sharply to roughly 730 by 2028.]