Context: Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) council has approved a manifesto to accelerate the use of space in Europe.
About Matosinhos Manifesto 

• It is the resolution adopted unanimously by the 22 member states of the ESA.
• Aim: To tackle the urgent and unprecedented societal, economic and security challenges faced by Europe and its citizens.
• It lays down a vision for the continent in terms of maintaining and expanding its activities in space.

It outlines three urgent initiatives called Accelerators and two mission proposals

• The initiatives involve measures to tackle climate change, respond to natural disasters, and to protect spacecraft from orbital debris and space weather.

First Initiative

• The first initiative involves improving the ability of Earth-observing satellites, to provide higher-quality data that can be used to tackle the climate crisis.

Aim

• To better understand the current state of Earth by focusing on space for a green future.
• To develop scenarios and solutions for sustainable life on this planet.
• To contribute effectively to achieving climate neutrality.

The document proposes the creation of a “digital twin of earth”

• Digital twin is a simulated replica that can be used for modelling and in order to predict events such as floods, fires, or droughts years in advance.
• It also helps in eliminating worldwide greenhouse emissions by 2050.

Second Initiative

• The second accelerator is called “Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response”.

Aim: To support governments to act decisively on crises facing Europe, from flooding and storms to wildfires.

• It calls for more intensive use of space-collected data — such as imagery from satellites — in order to deal with natural disasters.
• Applications could range from monitoring to the coordination of rapid response units.

Third initiative

• The third accelerator is “Protection of Space Assets”

Aim: To safeguard ESA astronauts and assets from interference by space debris and space weather.
The mission proposals are as follows

• The main goal of this mission would be to look for signs of alien life throughout our Solar System.
• The two missions aim to establish the ESA’s own system to launch astronauts into space and to probe Jupiter’s frozen moon Enceladus.
• The first calls for Europe to establish its own mechanism to launch astronauts into space.
• The second envisions sending an ESA probe to one of the moons of Jupiter or Saturn to return samples to Earth.

European Space Agency (ESA)

• ESA is an intergovernmental organisation that was formed in 1975.
• Aim: To develop Europe’s space capabilities.
• The organisation has 22 member states.