Ambitious programs on the way Europe and the Competition for Satellites, Space Defence and Surveillance

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Fastems Systems GmbH

The competition for dominance in space is no longer a distant prospect – it is already under way. While the United States and China continue to expand their capabilities in orbit, Europe is still defining its role between technological strength and political fragmentation. Satellite constellations, missile defence and space surveillance have become central building blocks of geopolitical power. 

There are now more than 9,000 active satellites in orbit worldwide, the majority in low Earth orbit. The Starlink system operated by the US company SpaceX alone comprises more than 5,000 satellites. Europe is attempting to catch up with the IRIS² project, valued at around €10 billion, but remains several years behind in terms of scale. The race in space is therefore no longer decided solely by technological excellence, but increasingly by industrial capacity and speed, or, as former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton put it: “Space infrastructure is no longer a luxury, but a matter of Europe’s strategic sovereignty.”