European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said the European Union will have to look beyond its borders for launch sites to achieve its ambitious satellite-launch targets.
Kubilius told the Financial Times that the EU will need 62 launches a year by 2034, while the Ariane 6 rocket at the European Space Agency’s main spaceport in French Guiana is currently capable of carrying out only 10 launches annually.
Brussels is therefore considering sites in Norway, the UK and Canada, as well as potential locations in Portugal, the Azores and Scotland.
We are targeting launch platforms as a very high priority for space capabilities. This is critical for us, Kubilius said, announcing a tour of sites where launch facilities already exist or could be developed.
The Financial Times noted that the number of defence satellites operated by EU countries is expected to rise over the next eight years from around 20 to nearly 300, while government satellites are projected to increase from around 70 to approximately 630, and commercial satellites to nearly 2,000. The newspaper compared these figures with SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, which carried out 170 launches last year, while Europe conducted only eight.
Kubilius also stressed the need to develop launch vehicles, including to enable a rapid response to threats in space.
Kubilius told the Financial Times that the EU will need 62 launches a year by 2034, while the Ariane 6 rocket at the European Space Agency’s main spaceport in French Guiana is currently capable of carrying out only 10 launches annually.
Brussels is therefore considering sites in Norway, the UK and Canada, as well as potential locations in Portugal, the Azores and Scotland.
We are targeting launch platforms as a very high priority for space capabilities. This is critical for us, Kubilius said, announcing a tour of sites where launch facilities already exist or could be developed.
The Financial Times noted that the number of defence satellites operated by EU countries is expected to rise over the next eight years from around 20 to nearly 300, while government satellites are projected to increase from around 70 to approximately 630, and commercial satellites to nearly 2,000. The newspaper compared these figures with SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, which carried out 170 launches last year, while Europe conducted only eight.
Kubilius also stressed the need to develop launch vehicles, including to enable a rapid response to threats in space.
