German Minister for Research, Technology and Aerospace Dorothee Baer (C) gives a press statement flanked with astronauts (From L) Alexander Gerst, Amelie Schoenenwald, Samantha Cristoforetti and Matthias Maurer during the European Space Agency (ESA) ministerial meeting at the Congress Centrum in Bremen, northern Germany, on November 26, 2025. Ministers from the 23 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) meet in the Hanseatic city for two days to discuss the strategic direction of European spaceflight. (Photo by FOCKE STRANGMANN / AFP via Getty Images)