Name: Europe's space chief warns we're dangerously behind China and the US | The Dip Podcast
Uploaded: 2026-02-06T17:17:26.000Z
Duration: 8 min 59 s
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Russia, United States, Japan and Canada, we have to work together.

One of the partners pulls out and the space station doesn't work anymore.

Europe has to step up, has to become stronger, more independent and autonomous.

I really hope to have a very robust space industry in Europe and really develop some of the best space infrastructure in the world.

The European Space Agency received a big boost to its budget, but it's still not enough.

I mean, if Starlink, for example, in Europe got switched off overnight, Europe doesn't have an alternative that's at that same level.

Ariana 6, the launcher which sends up our satellites into space, it's behind what the US can do in terms of its launch capabilities.

You could say Europe is dependent for sure.

But I met up with someone who knows all about this because he's the most important man in Europe for space.

You could say that's the European Space Agency boss, Josef Aschbacher.

There's a long tradition of global space agencies working together, cooperating almost no matter what the situation geopolitically on the ground.

Do you see that that's changed and that's becoming much more difficult.

We still have the space station where Russia, the United States, European Space Agency, Japan and Canada are working together.

It is a place where we have to work together because it's.

We cannot afford that one of the partners pulls out because then the space station doesn't work anymore.

And I think it's also good that we do have this still, despite all the tensions down on the soil of planet Earth, space has been and further will continue to be a ground where we need to work together for a very simple reason, because some of the issues are global.

So would you say that your job in many ways is to beat the US to beat China in certain strategic areas?

My job is first and foremost to make sure that Europe has the space infrastructure it needs for its own purpose, for citizen security, for communication, for navigation, for Earth observation, for climate change studies, but

also studies around the world in order to better understand development aid, migration and all these issues that are political issues.

And I have reinforced cooperations with Japan, with South Korea, with India, with the uae, with many other countries.

Canada already is a so called cooperating state of visa and has increased its budget by a factor of four the last ministerial conference.

So more and more countries really want to work with us because we are good, reliable, trusted and a long term stable Partner.

There's been a lot of talk about the potential for Europe to stand on its own two feet.

certainly that Europe needs to be able to work in a sovereign manner wherever it can, across all kinds of domains.

What do you think that ESA and Europe would struggle with in the space industry if those international connections outside of Europe just vanished overnight due to whatever geopolitical crisis you could imagine?

If they would vanish, that would certainly cause disruptions and costs.

Therefore that means technology that is crucial would need to be built up with our own means, because today we have an international dependence.

Let me mention the other way around also.

The United States, by far the largest space nation, having many capabilities and very impressive ones, is depending on Europe.

For example, in the Artemis program, the Orion capsule is powered by the European service module, which means that if you compare it with a car, it's the chassis and the car is built by the United States, but

But I would say that the difficulties in geopolitics at the moment seem to not look at those practical concerns, but

more are a case of the will of individual leaders to do what they will.

let me also just be crystal clear that Europe has to step up, has to reinforce its capabilities, has to become stronger and therefore more independent and autonomous.

And this message has really resonated with the decision makers and therefore the programs that I have proposed are doing exactly that.

So yes, you're absolutely right, with all the international cooperation we have, and

we have very good partners internationally.

But it is crystal clear that Europe needs to reinforce its capabilities.

And this is what we have been funding and now we have to do.

It must be a difficult situation for you to navigate, to kind of predict what might be happening here on Earth, to decide some of these long run projects that take many, many years and a lot of expertise and coordination, a lot of money to put together as for what requirements those may have in the future.

Space projects do need a time frame of 10 years or even beyond in order to plan, build up and therefore use them.

Take the space station as a good example.

The space station has been initiated 25 years ago and is still running for another couple of years.

So it's a multi decade investment that you are making there.

Imagine the world in the year 20, because this is where we should go in order to build up the infrastructure that we need in order to make sure that in 2040 we're ready.

But of course, making sure that while we build up the vision for 2040, we make sure that today's needs are met and we go into this direction in order to be well positioned and strengthen Europe through our activities that we do.

Because what I really want to achieve through the European Space Agency is to elevate the future of Europe through space.

What does a launch capability for Europe need to fulfill?

We have Ariane 6, which is the heavy lift launcher for Europe.

It took a bit of time to get it on the launch pad, but

Actually, it has been the fastest ramp up of any heavy lift launcher that we achieved with Ariane 6.

We had the inaugural flight in July 2024.

For the first five flights, it took us 17 months.

And this shows that the engineering itself is quite skilled and is quite excellent.

Very proud actually of this ramp up speed, which is good, which is very good.

But it shows that Europe has the capability.

Yes, of course the Ariane 6 rocket is not reusable.

And this is of course a huge difference to Falcon 9.

But we have already decided two years ago to create reusable rocket launchers in Europe.

And that's where we initiated, through a decision by all member states to have the next launcher after Riyan 6.

Not the same type of launcher as we have created now, but done completely differently.

Where we give industry the initiative, they are very agile, very fast.

But then your pledge is that the next launcher capability, next launcher program for Europe will be competitive directly with the next version that comes after Falcon 9 in the US.

Of course, this is exactly what we want to achieve, to have a very competitive launcher.

I should probably remind all the viewers and listeners that about 10 years ago, Europe had a leading position with Ariane 5 in the launch capability.

This now has to be regained and restarted, established.

And yes, in the future we are working to have competitive launches not only within Europe, but

at the global market by the end of your time in office, which could be 2029, or who knows, it could be extended.

How will you have changed Europe's space industry and capabilities compared to where you started?

What would look like success by the end of your time in office and what would look like failure?

Space has become so strategic, so important, so commercially interesting that we have to really change gear, literally, and

So by 20, I really hope to have a very robust space industry in Europe, much stronger than today, an increase of budgets that is much higher compared to the level today so that our companies are flourishing, succeeding, and

really develop some of the best space infrastructure in the world.

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