As the President of the Republic is set to unveil a new national space strategy this Friday, June 20, I had the opportunity to meet with key players in the French space sector.
Building European Space Sovereignty
Europe has fallen behind in all areas of the space race, particularly in light of Elon Musk's growing dominance. The superiority of SpaceX’s reusable launchers and the deployment of 8,000 Starlink low-Earth orbit satellites (compared to 650 in Europe) have at least triggered a collective wake-up call.
This was echoed by François Jacq, the new president of CNES, and Lionel Suchet, its director general, during our conversation. This historic agency enables France to maintain full-spectrum expertise in the space sector, from Earth and ocean observation (Spot and SWOT satellites), scientific research (Rosetta and Mars Express missions), to launcher development (Ariane) and, of course, defense architecture. France’s comparative cost disadvantage is being addressed through the Myriade program and support for NewSpace startups developing small satellites.
French Resilience
France is making a comeback. After the rocky transition from Ariane 5 to Ariane 6 and the disruptive arrival of SpaceX’s cheaper and reusable Falcon 9, ArianeGroup launched the development of a partially reusable light launcher (500 to 1500 kg payload) through its MaiaSpace subsidiary—combining industrial know-how with startup agility.
This resilience among legacy players is matched by the emergence of new entrants like the young Reims-based company Latitude, which aims to launch the maiden flight of its mini-launcher Zephyr in 2026 (100 kg payload, compared to Ariane 6’s 10,000 to 22,000 kg).
On this topic, I met with Eutelsat, the French satellite communications operator. In light of Starlink’s rapid expansion and the unpredictable nature of transatlantic relations—recall Musk’s threat to cut Starlink service to the Ukrainian military during the war—the return to European sovereignty hinges on deploying our own constellations: the Iris² project aims to do just that.
Specialized in geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites—now outdated due to the rise of real-time internet communications—Eutelsat shifted its focus to low Earth orbit (LEO), where latency drops from 500–600 ms to 20–40 ms. This led to a merger with UK-based OneWeb in 2022, positioning the group to fulfill Iris²’s vision of European low-orbit satellite constellations.
Satellite sovereignty is not only a driver of competitiveness, but a cornerstone of strategic independence, with both civilian and military applications. Investment in this “Star Wars” domain must become a political priority.
Industry leaders are already envisioning the future—take Dassault Aviation’s Vortex project, a “spaceplane” presented at the show, capable of maneuvering in orbit and landing on a standard runway, tailored for future military missions.
A Young, Dynamic Ecosystem That Deserves Support
This technological and operational catch-up can also rely on a vibrant ecosystem. That’s why I met with the NewSpace Alliance, which brings together startups and innovative SMEs in the sector.
The potential is dazzling: Greenerwave is developing energy-efficient, multi-band antennas compatible with all constellations, at all altitudes; ThrustMe is working on mini electric thrusters for satellites - no larger than a Rubik’s Cube! SpaceDreamS is designing low-cost, universal launch pads; and Skynopy offers antenna-sharing services to help satellite operators avoid large upfront investments.
These young startups are already contributing to France’s space ambitions. It is up to public institutions to support them and give them the means to become tomorrow’s European champions.
If the future of Europe in space lies in the alliance between this disruptive ecosystem and the reinvention capacity of legacy players, then Europe must invest heavily in this highly strategic domain. While the United States spends €65 billion annually on its space programs, European spending stands at just €12 billion - a ratio of 1 to 5.
NB : Translation made by IA.