“You have made history,” European Space Agency Director Joseph Aschbacher said after announcing a 30% increase in its budget for the three-year period 2026-2028, achieving a record investment of $22.070 million. Spain overtakes the United Kingdom and Belgium and becomes the fourth largest taxpayer, as it will allocate 1,854 million euros during those three years. Three astronauts from Germany, Italy and France will go to the Gateway lunar station