Policy
EU urges more investment in space programs to counter China, Russia
Europe must focus on exploiting economic opportunities as well as ensuring defense amid rising threats from Beijing and Moscow, the EU's space chief says.
![A view of the mission control room as a Vega rocket lifts off from the European Space Agency Kourou station, French Guiana, on September 4. It carried the Sentinel-2C satellite, part of the European Union's Copernicus program. [Ronan Lietar/AFP]](/gc8/images/2025/01/29/48952-europe_space-370_237.webp)
By BlueShift and AFP |
Europe must boost rocket production, ramp up spending and streamline its market or risk letting "aggressive authoritarians" such as China and Russia dominate space, according to the new space chief of the European Union (EU).
"We're still on top when it comes to navigation, observation and exploration -- but in other areas we are losing ground," EU defense and space commissioner Andrius Kubilius told a Brussels conference on January 28.
"If we do nothing, we risk stagnation, relative decline compared to others, and that's unacceptable."
The EU has a handful of prominent space programs including the Galileo and Copernicus navigation and observation systems.
In addition, it recently signed a contract to develop the Iris² secure space-based communication system aimed at rivaling satellite services like Elon Musk's Starlink.
Still, Kubilius said Europe risked missing out as the world stands on the cusp of a "space revolution" that could triple the size of the sector in the next decade.
"Who controls space, controls the future -- Europe must maintain leadership in space," he said.
"We cannot leave space to the axis of aggressive authoritarians."
The EU needed to produce more rockets, increase public spending and overhaul its fragmented market, the former Lithuanian prime minister said.
To try to remedy this, Kubilius said Brussels would propose an "EU space law" to create a single market in the sector.
Ensuring defense
Work would also begin on creating a "long-term vision" for how to make the EU a leading producer of rockets, he added.
Europe has struggled to find a way to independently launch missions since Russia withdrew its rockets in 2022 over the war in Ukraine.
After four years of delays, the heavy-lift Ariane 6 had its first successful flight in July, followed by the lighter Vega-C last month.
"We should not be dependent on third-country rockets," Kubilius said. "We need our own launchers to get up there. More, better and cheaper."
The EU needs to step up in space not just to exploit economic opportunities but to ensure its defenses, he insisted.
Russia's war in Ukraine has shown the importance of gathering intelligence data from space, he said.
"In five years' time Russia could be ready for a confrontation with NATO," Kubilius warned. "We must use space to defend our countries, our societies, our people here on Earth."
His remarks echoed concerns voiced by US Space Force chief Gen. B. Chance Saltzman. In a December 10 speech, he called Moscow's counterspace arsenal "eye-watering," according to SpaceNews.
The list of Russian options includes "anti-satellite weapons, co-orbital threats, and advanced electronic warfare systems," SpaceNews reported.
Beijing also has invested heavily in military space programs in recent years, reflecting its strategic goal of becoming a dominant global power in space, according to the US Department of Defense (DoD).
In a report released December 18, the DoD noted that China expects future conflicts to involve "intelligentized warfare" that includes "expanded use of AI [artificial intelligence], quantum computing, big data and other advanced technologies."