Kubilius: “It’s time to create a European space shield”

Brussels –  For better or worse, “who controls space controls the future,” so, in the face of this new existential challenge, it is time for “a European space shield,” said Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defense and Space, at the XVII European Space Conference, calling on businesses to join  Europe’s new direction. Private investment will be needed, which the EU executive, he announces, intends to channel through a strategy coming in the next few weeks. “We want to create a single market for space,” he said. Not offering details, Kubilius makes it clear that there is a serious intention behind this, not least because there are few viable alternatives.

Each historical moment has its distinctive feature, the Defense Commissioner said. “The 19th century was the time of the train. The 20th century was the time of the automobile and the airplane. The 21st century belongs to space.” In light of this, we need the EU to take the lead. “Where do we want the EU to be in 2040? I want it to be a leader.” Not least because, in the wake of international tensions and a space race restarted in a big way, with the US dreaming of Mars and China wanting an orbital space station, one cannot stand idly by.

Kubilius wants to be clear in this regard. Space policy must have implications and ramifications in defense policy. It is the fourth point in the priorities of the new EU space policy. It starts with Galileo, the satellite navigation system designed for positioning and navigation. “We will send four new satellites into orbit,” under a condition of ‘continuity.’  The second goal is under the banner of discontinuity with what has been done so far: “We must create our own space industry.” It is where the single market project for the industry comes in — the desire to “attract small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and private investment.

The third item on the European agenda is to “ensure independence.” It means that “we must not depend on third-country launchers,” as has been the case until now, Kubilius explained. The functionality of Galileo was outsourced to the Russians through the Soyuz launcher, which was involved in launch errors that, in 2014, misplaced the satellites the EU needed. It is not a new issue, but one that has become even more urgent today.

Finally, defense: “Space data also becomes critical from a military point of view” in both offense and defense. Therefore, we must use space for defense, Kubilius insisted. “We must be able to defend ourselves against any aggressor,” and in that sense, “we must create comprehensive services of inter-operable intelligence.” Move ahead with the space shield.