Matthias Petschke, Director for Space at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS), explained on Monday 30 November that space was a “catalyst” for the EU's strategic autonomy.
Speaking to MEPs on the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, Mr Petschke explained that the EU space programme would continue to develop its capabilities and that the EU would continue to develop the flagship programmes Galileo, Copernicus and EGNOS.
“These are strong points for Europe, but we must maintain our technological lead”, he explained. “If we are not careful, we risk losing the technological advantage we still have in Europe. We’re still in the first division, but if we don’t invest significantly, we won’t be able to continue to be effective against the United States and China”, added Airbus Defence and Space CEO Dirk Hoke.
The President of Eurospace and CEO of the Ariane Group, André-Hubert Roussel, noted that space was a place of strategic competition and that it was going to become a new battleground. In his view, the EU should work on four axes: independent access to space, space situational awareness, support for military operations and action in space. Mr Hoke and Mr Roussel also felt that Europe lacked an early warning system that would protect against ballistic missiles.
Both men also called for the dispersal of European Defence Fund funds to be avoided. Mr Hoke cited three priority flagship projects, in his view: an European multidomain operations cloud, the early warning system and further development of the Eurodrone.
Furthermore, on Tuesday 1 December, the European Space Agency announced that it had signed an €86 million contract with the Swiss start-up ClearSpace SA for the first removal of space debris from orbit. This mission will leave in 2025, to capture and de-orbit a section of an old Vega rocket. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)