The European Space Agency is starting 2025 with a budget slightly less than it had in 2024 as it finalizes a package of programs that will likely require significant budget increases for the next three years.
At a Jan. 9 briefing, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said that ESA’s budget for 2025 will be 7.68 billion euros ($7.91 billion). That is down about 1.4% from the 7.79 billion euros the agency had for 2024.
About two-thirds of ESA’s budget comes from contributions directly from its member states, with the rest coming from the European Commission, Eumetsat and other sources as part of joint programs. Notably, three of the largest member states, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, cut their contributions to ESA significantly in 2025 compared to 2024, changes that could be caused by national policy decisions or the timing of programs they have subscribed to.