NATO commander: Europe must stand up to Musk, Russia and China in space

Pierre Vandier, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, is calling for Europe to become more involved in the increasingly important military domain of space. "There can be no European sovereignty without efforts in space," the French admiral told Politico magazine. The EU states urgently need to wake up so as not to leave the field to Elon Musk and hostile nations such as China or Russia.

NATO allies are also in favor of greater European involvement in space, Vandier emphasized. "The Americans themselves are calling for a form of emancipation, for Europeans to grow up and become better in many areas – and that includes space." This is a huge opportunity. However, the joint use of military satellite constellations for communication services is also conceivable within the framework of the defense alliance.

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine in particular shows how important space resources are for communication on the battlefield and for gathering information. It has also made it clear how dependent Europe currently is on a limited number of US companies for broadband internet from space –, particularly Elon Musk's space company SpaceX and its Starlink offering.

The European "Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security through Satellites" (IRIS2) is still under construction and is not expected to be operational on a large scale before 2030. In March, the Franco-British operator Eutelsat offered to replace Starlink in Ukraine. However, it needs financial and logistical support.

Orbital weapons and jammers

At the same time, space is crystallizing as a potential combat zone. At the beginning of the month, the US Space Command described space as an "extremely contested strategic environment", particularly with regard to China and Russia. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed concern that the Kremlin was seeking to deploy nuclear weapons in space.

There are currently a number of players who are introducing space weapons, said Vandier. These include orbital weapons in the form of bombs that could be launched into orbit and dropped on command without early warning systems being able to detect them. Other enemy objects in space are aimed at disrupting satellites or throwing them out of orbit. Europe and NATO therefore urgently need to take countermeasures.

The rapid militarization of space is also changing the architecture of this area, explains the NATO commander. This requires Europeans to rethink the business model of their defense companies. In space, the military is increasingly relying on commercial infrastructure. In addition, most of the constellations there are geared towards "dual use", i.e. they serve both civilian and military purposes.

Dual use and new space

European countries should therefore no longer rely solely on large satellites in geostationary orbits, advises Vandier. They also need backup constellations in low orbits. Earth satellites flying there cost between 100,000 and 150,000 US dollars each, compared to 300 to 400 million US dollars for a single geostationary satellite. The former could also be launched more frequently and at lower cost.

The new space sector of new aerospace companies is currently dominated by SpaceX. In Germany, young companies such as Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) and Isar Aerospace are trying to get micro-launchers for satellites to fly. At the end of March, the Spectrum rocket from Isar Aerospace was successfully launched and stayed in the air for around 30 seconds. The main aim was to collect data.

In April, the Norwegian defense company Kongsberg launched its first satellite into space, albeit with the help of SpaceX. Vandier is campaigning for a European Defense Act to create the conditions for the development of new defence technologies and a marketplace around them.

(vbr)