The European Space Agency has been given a record three-year budget and, for the first time, an explicit role in the field of security and defence, following decisions taken at its latest ministerial council in Bremen.
Ministers from the agency’s 23 member states have approved a funding package worth €22.1 billion for the period ahead, compared with about €17 billion in the previous cycle. The decision represents a sharp increase in spending on European space capabilities at a time when governments are seeking to make satellites and ground infrastructure more resilient.
Germany, France and Italy are expected to remain the largest financial contributors, but several smaller member states have also increased their stakes. Officials say the scale of the package is intended to signal that Europe intends to remain a significant space power in a sector where the EU is competing not only with the United States and China but also with commercially driven programmes such as SpaceX and other private operators.
The resolution adopted by member states also gives the agency the tools and authority to design and operate space systems “for security and defence”. Until now, its activities have been framed largely in civilian terms, even when the data and services it provides are used by armed forces. The new mandate is intended to allow the agency to respond more directly to defence requirements while maintaining its predominantly civilian character and its status as a separate organisation from the European Union institutions.
A significant share of the new money is directed at programmes with clear security applications. Around €3.4 billion is assigned to Earth-observation systems, which supply high-resolution imagery and other data for weather forecasting, environmental monitoring and military situational awareness. Some €2.1 billion will go towards secure satellite communications, while roughly €900 million is earmarked for the development of European launch vehicles, including efforts to stabilise access to orbit after delays affecting the Ariane 6 programme.
Josef Aschbacher, the agency’s director general, described the agreement as a “historic change” for European space policy. He linked the move to the war in Ukraine, growing concern about the vulnerability of satellites and a desire to reduce dependence on non-European or purely commercial providers. In his view, the new mandate strengthens Europe’s ability to protect its own assets in orbit and to guarantee access to essential services on which both civilian life and defence planning now rely.
Poland, which has been expanding its role in space and defence policy, is understood to have played a prominent role in the negotiations. Warsaw has argued that the security dimension of space policy has been under-developed in Europe and has pressed for a stronger institutional framework. It is seeking to host a new ESA facility focused on security-related programmes, which would add to the network of existing technical and operations centres across the continent listed on the ESA sites map.
The changes at the agency run in parallel with broader discussions in Brussels about how to organise Europe’s defence effort in space. Andrius Kubilius, a prominent advocate of a tougher stance on Russia within the European institutions, has called for the creation of a “European space shield” to bring together surveillance, early-warning and secure-communication capabilities. The initiative has been trailed in Commission speeches is intended to complement national initiatives and existing EU projects such as the planned IRIS² secure connectivity constellation.
Military officials have been warning for some time that space is becoming a more contested environment. Major General Vincent Chusseau, head of France’s Space Command, has pointed to a rise in hostile or unfriendly actions in orbit, including jamming, laser dazzling and cyberattacks on satellites. Russia has been identified in Paris and other capitals as a principal source of such activity, while China and other powers are also expanding their capabilities, as tracked by organisations monitoring space security trends.
In parallel with its new security-related tasks, the agency will continue to run its scientific, exploration and commercial programmes. The latest funding round includes money for launchers, efforts to restore Europe’s guaranteed access to space and support for exploration missions and technology development, alongside long-standing EU flagships such as Galileo and Copernicus. Industry groups have welcomed the package as providing greater visibility for companies involved in launch, satellite manufacture and downstream space services.
Defence projects will account for only a limited part of the agency’s spending, and the practical arrangements for its expanded mandate have yet to be finalised. Further decisions will be required on governance, cooperation with EU bodies and the location of any new facilities, which will need to align with the broader EU Space Programme. Even so, the budget agreement marks a clear broadening of the role of the European Space Agency and reflects the extent to which security concerns now influence policy in orbit as well as on the ground.
