Europe is stepping up efforts to build up its military space assets, driven by Russia’s war in Ukraine and its decision to distance itself from its longstanding dependence on the US in the space domain.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Today, European governments, armed forces and societies make heavy use of space-enabled services, including satellite communications.
Yet, for years, it was perceived as a useful addition rather than an essential strategic asset. This perspective has only changed since the KA-SAT satellite network cyberattackin February 2022, just before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The targeted attack on Viasat’s US-operated network disrupted telecommunications, energy infrastructure, and internet access across Europe, leaving Ukrainian public authorities and citizens offline and silencing them at a critical moment as Russian soldiers poured into the country.
At the beginning of 2026, during the European Space Conference, European Union Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, called for the 27 member states to come together to work towards space independence.
However, greater European autonomy in space-based military capabilities is still a long way away, according to a new study from the defence and security think-tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), possibly reaching beyond the late 2030s.
Which countries are investing in space defence?
Nevertheless, European countries are set to invest at least €95.46 billion ($109bn) in space capabilities by 2030.
Germany has committed to invest €35bn in space assets by 2030 and published its Space Safety and Security Strategy in November 2025, while France has increased its space defence budget to €10.2bn during the same period.
At the EU level, the European Commission plans to invest €10.6bn in the new EU secure satellite constellation, to be delivered by 2030.
European Space Agency members have also pledged €1.2bn to its new dual civil-military-use European Resilience from Space programme.
But closing the gap with the United States won’t be easy: sharing the defence burden in space could require at least an additional €8.67bn, and achieving full autonomy may need a further €21.67bn.
In addition, both figures exclude most ground-segment infrastructure, personnel, training, cyber resilience and broader programme overheads.
Experts claim that full autonomy would also require even more time, extending well into the late 2030s at the earliest.
“These investments are not structured around a coherent strategy to close the most consequential capability gaps within a decade”, the IISS said.
