For the European commissioner for industrial and digital policy Thierry Breton, the question is settled: there is no question of leaving the satellite Internet to American or Chinese players. While SpaceX has now deployed its Starlink service in France and other American players – starting with Blue Origins, Jeff Bezos’ company – are looking into this subject, Brussels does not intend to be outdone. At the end of a feasibility study initiated at the start of 2021, the European Commission is presenting this Wednesday the outlines adopted by the future European sovereign space communications system.
The subject is of geostrategic importance: for the EU, such a system “will contribute to the protection of critical infrastructures, surveillance, external actions, crisis management and applications which are essential for the economy, the security and defense of member states. “This system will guarantee uninterrupted access in the long term, worldwide, to secure and cost-effective satellite telecommunications services”, argues the European executive, who also wants to surf on this system to put an end once and for all to the white zones on the Old Continent.
The European constellation should see the light of day by 2030, it is hoped on the side of Brussels. As regards the financing of this sovereign system, the Commission has estimated it at 6 billion euros, including 2.4 billion euros of direct contribution between 2022 and 2027. As much capital which should not be injected in vain, assure the European commissioners, for whom the initiative will strengthen the space ecosystem and the connectivity market in Europe with, at the end of the day, a gross added value estimated between 17 and 24 billion euros.
Avoid space traffic jams
“Our new connectivity infrastructure will provide very high-speed internet access, act as a replacement for our current internet infrastructure, improve our resilience and cybersecurity, and provide connectivity to all of Europe and Africa. It will be a truly pan-European project, which will allow our many start-ups and Europe as a whole to be at the forefront of technological innovation”, argued Thierry Breton during the presentation of this plan.
That’s not all. While the number of satellites in low orbit continues to increase, at the risk of a monster space traffic jam, Brussels intends to regulate more strictly the management of traffic above our heads. “It is essential to safeguard the long-term sustainability of space activities by ensuring that space remains a safe, secure and viable environment,” said the European Commission, for which this issue is now considered “priority”.
For Brussels, “the objective is to develop concrete initiatives to promote the safe, secure and viable use of space while preserving the strategic autonomy of the Union and the competitiveness of European industry”. To achieve this, the EU intends to put in place a strategic plan based on an assessment of civil and military needs in terms of space traffic management, a reinforcement of technologies for managing this traffic, the adoption of a “normative framework and appropriate legislation”, as well as the establishment of international partnerships in this area.
“Space is busier than ever, which increases the complexity and risks associated with space activities. To address this global challenge, we will develop concrete capabilities, set standards and engage with key partners and in multilateral fora to ensure the safe, secure and sustainable use of space,” said Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, during the presentation of the plan concocted by the EU to get back into the space race.