“We want European space exploration.” On the occasion of the traditional annual press conference of the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher might not be clearer regarding his ambitions. The Austrian, who took part in the exercise for the first time on January 18 following taking office last March, underlined the importance of space exploration for him – and at the same time, the path that remains to be done, particularly in terms of the budget.