Yet, in the face of extreme global competition, there is a need to pool resources, expertise and infrastructure, which will allow Europe to optimize launch operations, streamline processes and eliminate redundancies. This all requires choosing missions over nationalistic returns, which is not always easy when spending countries’ public funds. But Europe is addressing these challenges, with the European Space Agency fostering stronger collaboration and coordination among its space agencies, research institutions and private companies. The fragmented nature of the European space sector, with multiple national agencies and varying priorities, has added to the challenges, limiting the collective impact Europe could make in the global space industry. Clearly, this has serious repercussions for its security and defense satellites.įactors such as budget constraints, coordination difficulties and regulatory complexities have hindered Europe’s ability to strengthen its launch capabilities. It also outlines the dependency Europe might face to access its assets in orbit. Its small percentage of the total launches highlights the challenges it faces in this competitive domain. With only two launches, Europe finds itself facing challenges in terms of its launch capacity. These three nations have taken center stage, showcasing their prowess. The US, with SpaceX as global leader, is responsible for about 40 percent of launches, followed by China with 30 percent and Russia with 15 percent. As we analyze the orbital launches for 2023 up to July, the numbers reveal a global landscape dominated by a few key players. The reality is that, even before this last launch, Europe has been dependent on others for its launch capacities. This situation highlights the importance of being capable of accessing assets in orbit, especially as telecommunications competition and geopolitical tensions heat up. This means that Europe faces months without its own independent and sovereign access to space. Due to delays, it is not expected to fly until the end of this year and some industry insiders believe its first flight might not happen until 2024. Despite the retirement of the only European heavy-lift rocket, its anticipated successor, Ariane 6, remains in the latter stages of development and testing. After 27 years of operations, the Ariane 5 rocket launched for its 117th and final mission last week.
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