ESA accelerators. Challenges and opportunities

In October 2021, a High-Level Advisory Group appointed by the ESA DG made recommendations on the main societal challenges representing priorities for a reinforced cooperation between ESA, its Member States and the EU. The Group highlighted the importance of accelerating the use of Space in Europe and identified three main thematic areas of action, namely three Accelerators: • Space for a Green Future (the S4GF Accelerator); • Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response (the R3 Accelerator); • Protection of Space Assets (the PROTECT Accelerator). The space sector is evolving rapidly. The staggering growth of commercial space activities, the increase in private investment in space, and the recent and ongoing multiplication of national initiatives are just some of the factors that are leading to a paradigm shift in the space sector. A shift that is having and will continue to have an impact on relations and dynamics at both European and national levels between institutional players and users, and between institutional actors themselves. How do Accelerators fit into this framework? This article will try to answer this question, aiming to clarify what the Accelerators are and to investigate the nature of the driving forces that contributed to their creation and the reasons behind them. This article also reflects on how the relationship between ESA, its Member States, the users and the European Commission might change, as the concept of the Accelerators is raising unprecedented questions. Finally, some issues related to a concrete implementation of the Accelerators that will have to be addressed by the European space sector are highlighted.