To dazzle, grapple or snoop aren’t yet widely understood as critical terms of warfare. But that's likely to change as Europe gets real about space defence.
Just a year ago, it would've been unthinkable for the European Space Agency (ESA) to stray from its purely civilian and scientific brief. But defence considerations are at the very core of the agency's new ambitions to launch a military-grade satellite network as part of a record-breaking budget ask, which Euractiv exclusively reported earlier today.
It's the latest sign that Europe's institutions are becoming serious about security.
Speaking in Warsaw on Tuesday at a space security event put on by the EU’s Polish presidency, ESA boss Josef Aschbacher said that until just a few months ago defence was a word "we were not allowed to use” at the agency. That’s because capitals prefer to keep a hold on military matters both on Earth and up in orbit.
But while touting a joint plan with the Commission to develop a near real-time reconnaissance satellite network, Aschbacher was clear that times are starting to change.
“If I would have had this discussion even one year ago, it would not have been possible,” said Aschbacher.
It's no secret what's behind the change. An outwardly hostile White House under Donald Trump has NATO allies scrambling, while Elon Musk's threats to undermine Ukraine by yanking access to his Starlink satellite communication network (again) have European capitals wondering who exactly they can rely on in outer space.
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