TIRED OF HITCHING RIDES: Astronauts in Europe ask for their own independent crew spacecraft.

European astronauts have been flying into space since 1978, when a German named Sigmund Jähn climbed aboard a Soyuz spacecraft and traveled to the Salyut 6 space station for a week.

Over the next four decades, dozens of European astronauts would fly on vehicles operated by Russia and the United States to various space stations. Most recently, French and German astronauts have launched to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon vehicle.

These astronauts, Thomas Pesquet and Matthias Maurer, both praised the Crew Dragon vehicle’s smooth spaceflight and the reusable nature of the rocket. They had no complaints. But as a new “manifesto” makes clear, European astronauts would like to have their own independent means of reaching the International Space Station.

Released publicly on Wednesday, the document says that European leaders must soon decide whether the continent will accelerate its efforts to remain in the “leading ranks” of spacefaring nations.

More lift is always welcome, but right now there isn’t a single European company or agency with a solid plan to compete with SpaceX circa 2017.