On Christmas Day 2021, an Ariane V rocket launched from French Guiana carrying the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a $10 billion project over two decades in the making. Twenty-seven minutes after takeoff, the telescope separated from the rocket and deployed its solar array. The launch was “perfect.”

The successful launch was a milestone for the European Space Agency (ESA), which partnered with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. But for Europe, it also represented something more tangible. In return for the launch, NASA granted ESA 15% of Webb’s observation time, allowing Europe to contribute to the search for the origins of the universe and life on exoplanets.

While the JWST launch was a success, Europe faces significant limitations in space. Bureaucratic competition, differing national priorities, and financial constraints hinder Europe’s ability to influence space governance. To enhance its influence, Europe must expand its partnerships, not only with traditional space powers like the U.S. and Japan but also with emerging spacefaring nations in Asia, such as India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

The Dual Monarchy in Space

Europe’s space governance is complicated by overlapping responsibilities between multiple agencies. The “dual monarchy” of space governance is led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), both with separate missions but shared goals.

ESA, founded in 1975, is an intergovernmental organization with 22 member states. It focuses on scientific research, space exploration, and technological development. ESA operates independently from the European Commission, though it has a liaison office in Brussels. On the other hand, EUSPA, created in 2021 out of a 229-page new space regulation, is focused on the operational management of EU satellite navigation systems, secure communications, and space data. Unlike ESA, EUSPA reports directly to the European Commission and Council.

Despite these differences, ESA and EUSPA collaborate on key European space initiatives like the GALILEO global navigation satellite system (Europe’s answer to GPS) and the COPERNICUS Earth Observation program. Their partnership is formalized through the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA), which secures nearly €9 billion for ESA until 2027. It defined core responsibilities for the two agencies, while maintaining ESA’s autonomy. Despite these efforts, the dual monarchy approach is cumbersome and obscures potential opportunities for partnerships with third parties.

National space agencies

Adding to the confusion is the fact that European countries also maintain their own space agencies focused on national level space policy. In addition to ESA and EUSPA, individual European countries maintain their own space agencies. These national agencies such as CNES (France), ASI (Italy), and the UK Space Agency—focus on national space policy, smaller-scale projects, and national technological development. Together, they contribute to the broader European space effort but also create complications, as each country sets its own priorities and agendas.

This fragmentation means that European space policy is often pulled in different directions. It also complicates the task of understanding which European agency is responsible for what in the space sector, especially when compared to more centralized models in the U.S., Russia, or China.

Building “space power” with emerging spacefaring nations

Europe must look beyond its borders to strengthen its position in space. Emerging spacefaring nations, especially in Asia, offer an opportunity for Europe to build “space power.” Nations like India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are rapidly advancing their space programs. These countries are investing heavily in deep space exploration, reforming their space bureaucracies, and maintain high-level political support for their space activities.

The seeds of these partnerships already exist. For instance, in 2015, India’s GSAT-15 was launched on an Ariane V rocket to help improve geolocation accuracy. But while partnerships like these are valuable, Europe must ensure that such collaborations result in tangible benefits, such as scientific data or financial compensation, as launch slots are valuable and should not be given away for free.

Europe should work with these emerging powers not to replace its existing relationships with NASA, but to complement them. Collaborations should focus on rule-drafting, scientific research, and unmanned space missions. Europe’s role should be to contribute to the development of space norms and regulations, especially as activities in low Earth orbit and beyond grow.

Recommendations:

European Space Council: The European Space Council should engage with emerging spacefaring nations to develop common rules for civil space cooperation, based on the principles of the Artemis Accords. Consulting countries like Saudi Arabia, India, and South Korea on future space regulations will enhance its credibility in global space negotiations. If the EU intends to issue new space regulations in the future, it should not do so inside a European black box.

European Space Agency: ESA should strengthen its partnerships with agencies like India’s ISRO, Saudi Arabia’s Space Agency, the UAE Space Agency, and South Korea’s newly-reformed Korean Aerospace Administration. These partnerships can lead to joint space exploration missions, ridesharing for launches, and collaborative Earth science research projects, in exchange for valuable scientific data or financial compensation in return.

European Union Space Partnership Agency: EUSPA should engage with Asian nations on Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems, to enhance interoperability with Europe’s EGNOS system. EUSPA should also consider sharing more data from COPERNICUS with these Asian nations in exchange for reciprocal benefits.

European Council and Parliament: As the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) with ESA approaches renewal in 2027, European leaders must commit to increasing ESA’s funding and assess the effectiveness of the current space governance structure. ESA is the core of Europe’s space power. Streamlining the “dual monarchy” model will help eliminate bureaucratic overlap and improve efficiency.

By taking these steps Europeans can better shape the emerging debate over how outer space will be governed. Speaking in Budapest right after the recent U.S. elections, French President Emanuel Macron said that the question now before Europe is the following: “Do we want to read the history that is written by others… or do we want to write our own history?” 

Europe can write its own history in the stars but only if it chooses to rewrite its own playbook first.