What do Nasa’s plans to launch one of the world’s most powerful rockets next Monday have in common with Europe’s ambitions to build cutting edge semiconductor factories?
At the very least, both are moonshots — one literally and the other metaphorically. Other similarities struck me as I listened to a Boeing executive last week discuss the challenges of building the first rocket system designed to bring humans back to the Moon after a 50-year absence.
Both projects have been politically rather than industrially driven; both require tens of billions of dollars of state support; and both risk delivering uncompetitive results.
Finally, I will bet that the EU’s plan to double its share of global semiconductor manufacturing to 20 per cent by 2030 will, like Nasa’s $20bn space launch system, overrun and overspend.
But does that mean both projects will be a waste of taxpayers’ money? Not necessarily. Much will depend on how politicians and the public value the capabilities that are delivered.