On Thursday 10 September, at the Paris Space Summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explained that the choices made now “will shape” Europeans’ place in space “for the decades to come”.
In her view, “that is the European way, strong enough to act independently but confident enough to work with others.” “Because the greatest possibilities of space will only be realised when we work together”, she warned, pointing out that space represented a major frontier for European prosperity, security and independence.
And to remain at the cutting edge, Europe must act in unison, invest heavily and turn its market into a competitive asset. The global space economy is expected almost to triple by 2035, rising from around $630 billion today to nearly $1.8 trillion.
Ursula von der Leyen therefore argued that the Commission, the European Space Agency (ESA) and national governments should pool their strengths. “Our industries are calling for clear and predictable demand to give them the certainty they need to invest in scale”, she stressed.
A view shared by French President Emmanuel Macron, host of the summit. He called on the Commission to present, in the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), “a European mechanism for aggregating institutional launches” bringing together the needs of the Commission, the European Space Agency, the Member States and, “where relevant, security partners”.
In his view, such multiannual programming will also have to be accompanied by a European institutional price in order to structure the European space access supply sustainably and give the industrial chain the visibility it needs to invest. “If Europe does not play together, if it does not play together to secure its volumes, gain that visibility and secure its institutional launches, it will not be able to build its competitiveness”, the President warned, also insisting on European preference. “To strengthen the industrial ecosystem, we must dedicate the entire European institutional market to it without exception and direct public procurement towards our players”, Emmanuel Macron specified.
In order to break down barriers to access to civil and military space data, products and services, the French President also announced the launch of a European marketplace for dual-use space capabilities, open to European partners and NATO. He said he wanted that marketplace to have listed around 50 French and European companies by 2027.
Invest more. For her part, Ms von der Leyen called for large-scale investment. She recalled that the Cassini investment mechanism was mobilising €2 billion in venture capital for the benefit of European space companies and that the new “Scaleup Europe” fund, worth €5 billion, was investing in strategic technologies for which Europe needs global champions, notably in the space sector. Moreover, the Commission has proposed an overall budget of €131 billion for defence, security and space in the next MFF, a budget backed by Emmanuel Macron, who himself announced that his country would invest €20 billion in the space sector by 2030.
The President highlighted as well the need for a European single market for space. The Commission is also updating its competition policy with a revision of the guidelines on merger control so that they recognise that European companies need critical mass in order to invest and compete globally.
“The ability to access and act in our space not only underpins our prosperity, it increasingly determines our security and our independence”, Ursula von der Leyen added, recalling that the EU was developing the multi-orbit constellation dedicated to secure communications IRIS.
On communications, Mr Macron called for the launch of a European ‘direct to device’ alliance in order to be able to provide, by 2030, an offer meeting international quality requirements. “This battle is fundamental. Tomorrow, phones will be able to remain connected thanks to space. It is a new essential infrastructure. To achieve this, Europe has all the telecommunications operators, satellite manufacturers and operators, constellations and technologies. What is now needed is a common team, a common determination and common investments”, he explained.
Lastly, the President of the European Commission underlined the importance of protecting space systems “that are becoming increasingly fundamental to our economies and to our security. That is the purpose of our European Space Shield. The space shield brings our capabilities together in a comprehensive European system with better awareness and greater defences against jamming and spoofing”, she explained. According to Ms von der Leyen, this shield, which should be presented before the end of the year, must enable joint action to fill critical capability gaps, whether in space-based early warning or in the protection of our satellites. “No Member State can build these capabilities on its own. But together, Europe has the scale to do it”, she explained.
Creating 21st century Europe. Twenty-two EU Member States also adopted a declaration entitled ‘Europe as a 21st century space power: for a competitive, autonomous and ambitious European space policy’.
In their view, Europe must act “with determination” to guarantee its strategic autonomy in space, build a strong and competitive European space market, strengthen a competitive and resilient European space ecosystem, and also strengthen European space governance.
To see the declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/ndv
International commitment on security and sustainability, Copernicus and scientific data. Emmanuel Macron also announced the adoption of three declarations that “commit the global space community”.
The first concerns the security and sustainability of space. According to him, this declaration calls for a conference to be held in order to establish a clear ‘roadmap’ on space traffic coordination. “It paves the way for an international mechanism for sharing points of contact between operators, the first step towards a genuine international committee”, he stressed, adding that this was a crucial issue, particularly for space debris and for coordinating future constellations.
To see the declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/ndu
The second declaration concerns Copernicus and reaffirms that this European programme is a global common good. “We are committed to guaranteeing its continuity, protecting the frequencies and keeping it open”, the French President specified.
To see the declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/nds
Lastly, the third declaration concerns scientific space data, for which the principles of accessibility, openness and integrity are affirmed.
To see the declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/ndq
Call to strengthen European space exploration. For their part, ministers from ESA Member States called for European space exploration to be strengthened, inviting the Agency to prepare “without delay” the options needed to translate their ambition “into concrete and lasting action, with a view to a decision at the intermediate ministerial meeting in December”.
In a joint declaration, they considered that Europe, drawing on its scientific excellence, technological innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and tradition of cooperation, must now “turn its strengths into autonomous capabilities for low Earth orbit and significant contributions to lunar exploration”, which requires “coherent, co-ordinated and timely action, commensurate with the pace of global developments”.
The ministers therefore say they are determined to strengthen Europe’s autonomy in space exploration where it matters, while deepening international cooperation. They also want to develop key capabilities guaranteeing a European presence in low Earth orbit and strengthening European participation on and around the Moon.
Promoting commercially “viable, competitive and cost-effective” approaches that strengthen the European industrial base and broaden opportunities for innovation and growth is also a priority. Lastly, the ministers want to ensure that Europe remains a reliable and indispensable partner “in humanity’s next great space adventure”.
According to ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, this call responds to three objectives: - guaranteeing Europe’s access to and presence in low Earth orbit (LEO) in the post-ISS era, for both crewed and robotic exploration; - strengthening Europe’s presence on and around the Moon by combining significant contributions to international partnerships with targeted European autonomy; - turning low Earth orbit and the Moon into testing grounds for technologies, capabilities and partnerships that will ultimately lead us to Mars and beyond.
“This is certainly a call for exploration, but the stakes go far beyond that: these objectives will drive innovation, strengthen the European industrial base, foster the development of critical technologies and bolster Europe’s security and resilience. It is an ambitious project, but a financially achievable one”, Josef Aschbacher argued, specifying that an investment of around €1 billion a year over 10 years would be needed to make this vision a reality.
The French President, for his part, said he wanted to see “in two years’ time, the first European cargo capsule, Nyx, docking with the International Space Station. In five years’ time, the first European lunar lander, Argonaut, landing on the surface of the Moon. In 10 years’ time, the first crewed European capsule lifting off from Kourou carrying European astronauts and astronauts from other nations, reflecting the spirit of cooperation that drives the International Space Station”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)