Europe pushes for space independence amid geopolitical rifts

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Momentum is growing for Europe to develop its own sovereign space capabilities, including satellite launches and human spaceflight, and reduce its dependence on the United States as divisions grow across the Atlantic. “Our security on Earth increasingly depends on our security in space,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said at the inaugural International Space Summit in Paris, France on 10 September. “Europe must act together, invest at scale, and turn our market into a competitive advantage.” Europe currently relies on NASA and companies such as SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas, to launch some of its astronauts and satellites to space. SpaceX’s Starlink network of broadband satellites in low-Earth orbit is now the leading provider of Internet from space around the world. And commercial European space activity has lagged behind that of the United States. Of the global US$13.5 billion invested in space companies last year, only 12% went to European companies, compared with 68% for US organizations. But change is in the air. The European Space Agency (ESA), the European Union, national governments and private companies are gearing up to give Europe greater autonomy in space than it has had previously. Space-summit snub The latest developments come after the White House was reported to have discouraged US space companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin from attending the Paris summit, according to reporting from Politico and others. During the meeting, president of France Emmanuel Macron spoke of his desire for Europe to develop the ability to achieve human spaceflight independently. “Europe must fly with its own crews,” he said. Eva Berneke, previously the chief executive of the French satellite company Eutelsat, told Nature that the last-minute cancellation by “the big Americans” was a “wake-up call” for Europe to push for greater sovereignty. “Europe needs to step up,” she says, after previous tensions with the US had raised alarms. US agencies have also eased on some collaborations. For example, last week, NASA said that it would no longer supply an instrument for a European Space Agency mission to Venus called Envision, set to launch in 2031. Lift-off efforts One of the key areas that Europe needs to strengthen to become more independent is its launch capabilities. The Ariane and Vega series of rockets, which take off from a spaceport in French Guiana, South America, are European but the region lacks a well-developed private rocket industry similar to those in the United States and, in the past few years, China. On 5 September, the German commercial rocket company Isar Aerospace launched the first orbital rocket to take off from European soil from the Andøya spaceport in Norway. And several European companies are developing reusable rockets and heavy-lift launchers, crucial for sending satellites into space frequently. Europe’s launch industry is unlikely to grow to rival that of the United States and China, says Bleddyn Bowen, an astropolitics researcher at Durham University, UK, but Europe can make sure that it “has enough essential infrastructure in space” with its own rockets. A Starlink competitor called IRIS2, a constellation of 348 satellites set to begin launching in 2029, is also being developed by the European Union. It will supply civilians, businesses, emergency services and the military with Internet from space — providing Europe with a way to stay online without relying on SpaceX. “IRIS2 has been talked about for many, many years,” says Bowen. “Now, things are actually getting built.” Investment on the rise Defence spending on space technology has increased in European nations, too. Most notably, Germany plans to invest €35 billion (around $40 billion) into spy satellites, space planes and other military equipment by 2030. Commercial space companies in Europe, meanwhile, have seen some sizeable investments this year. On 8 September, The Exploration Company in Gauting, Germany, announced that it had secured $450 million in funding — one of the largest amounts raised in European space history — to build a spacecraft called Nyx to launch cargo and, eventually, humans. Enjoying our latest content? Log in or create an account to continue Access the most recent journalism from Nature's award-winning team Explore the latest features & opinion covering groundbreaking research