Polish minister cites US uncertainty and opaque financing as Artemis concerns
Poland's deputy development minister said US uncertainty and unclear financing worry Warsaw, which is prioritising ESA's Argonaut lander.
Poland remains interested in taking part in NASA's Artemis programme but has concerns about its financial transparency, cost and accessibility to international partners. Deputy Minister of Development and Technology Michał Jaros said so in a 13 October response to a parliamentary question.
"At the present stage, there has been no transparency concerning the financing framework or the broader context of NASA's planned activities," Jaros wrote. He added that uncertainty in US budgetary and political conditions was an additional risk to long-term planning, and had historically affected the pace and scope of major exploration programmes.
He said programmes run directly by NASA carry very high costs and limited accessibility for external partners. MP Adrian Zandberg had asked what the government was doing to support Polish participation, citing the Polish Space Agency's lack of involvement in the Artemis Accords and other NASA programmes.
Jaros said Poland's priority in lunar exploration remains the European Argonaut programme, working with its partners in the European Space Agency. In January 2025 ESA awarded a €862 million contract to a consortium led by Thales Alenia Space in Italy to develop the lander's Lunar Descent Element. ESA is targeting 2030 for the first Argonaut launch.
Sourceeuropeanspaceflight.com