The International Space Summit: Can Europe secure its place in space?

By Kirsten Obanor

Space infrastructure. You rely on it every day. From the moment you open Google Maps to the moment you check the weather app, text a friend or even pay for a coffee. Satellites quietly underpin much of modern life. [1]

The inaugural International Space Summit took place earlier this month at the Grand Palais in Paris. Convened by French President Emmanuel Macron, the summit brought together international leaders, industry representatives and experts to address shared challenges and strategic priorities in the space sector. [2]

Space independence – a growing European ambition – was at the heart of the summit. [3]

How come?

As uncertainty grows around the future of US-European cooperation, European governments and companies are looking to “de-risk” their reliance on the United States across a range of strategic sectors and space is no exception. [3][4] 

Europe has its own launchers in French Guiana (South America), where the Ariane and Vega rocket series take off from. However, it still relies on the US to launch some of its satellites and astronauts through NASA and companies such as SpaceX, partly because its private space sector is less developed than those of the US and China. [3]

With satellites becoming increasingly vital to everything from finance and telecommunications to climate monitoring and defence, strong European presence in space is increasingly significant. The satellite industry is expected to expand rapidly, with the number of satellites in orbit projected to rise from around 9,000 two years ago to between 60,000 and 100,000 by 2030. [5] If space is becoming such a crucial part of modern life, Europe will need to secure its own place in the race. As the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen put it, “Our security on Earth increasingly depends on our security in space… Europe must act together, invest at scale, and turn our market into a competitive advantage”. [3]

What is the plan?

The summit produced significant contracts, investment announcements and political commitments. But the bigger question is what happens next. Much of the funding needed to turn these ambitions into reality will depend on future EU and ESA budget decisions. [6]

The scale of investment needed is significant. Of the US$13.5 billion invested globally in space companies last year, only 12% went to European companies, compared with 68% for US organisations. [3] Europe is therefore trying to build its space industry while competing with a much larger and better-funded private sector across the Atlantic.

There have been signs of progress. France committed €20 billion to its domestic space programme through 2030, while the European Commission has proposed allocating €131 billion to defence, security and space in the EU’s next long-term budget. [6] However, the latter is still a proposal, meaning the final amount will depend on future negotiations and decisions.

Europe therefore has many of the capabilities and ambitions needed to become more independent in space, but achieving this will require sustained investment, not just announcements at one summit.

Despite no longer being an EU member, the UK remains closely involved in European space cooperation. At the Paris summit, the UK signed declarations supporting the Copernicus Earth-observation programme and greater international access to space-based scientific data. So Europe’s push for greater independence in space is not simply an EU project. The UK remains part of the wider European space ecosystem, making the decisions made in Paris relevant on this side of the Irish Sea too.

References:

[1] UK Space Agency. “Satellites – the power behind our modern world.” GOV.UK. November 30th, 2023. https://space.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/30/satellites-the-power-behind-our-modern-world/

[2] French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. “International Space Summit.” diplomatie.gouv.fr. June 19th, 2026. https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/priorites-et-actions/grands-dossiers/le-sommet-international-sur-l-espace

[3] O’Callaghan, Jonathan. “Europe pushes for space independence amid geopolitical rifts”. nature.com. September 18th, 2026. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02919-1

[3] Vinocur, Nicholas and Sheftalovich, Zoya. “Europe begins its slow retreat from US dependence.” politico.com. February 2nd,2026. https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-begins-retreat-united-states-dependence-donald-trump-rocks-transatlantic-relationship/

[4] Balm, Julia. “Space Dependence: a need for better communication.” kcl.ac.uk . February 9th, 2024. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/space-dependence-a-need-for-better-communication

[5] Mäkinen,Jari. “Paris space summit brought a flood of orders and lifted European spirits.” spaceconomy.fi. September 11th,2026 https://spaceconomy.fi/paris-space-summit-brought-flood-orders-and-lifted-european-spirits