European Militaries Expand Space Activities Amid Heightened Threats

European defense leaders are taking their interest in space to a higher level and ramping up modernization efforts as they brace for potential conflict in the new operating domain.

The UK is investing in Earth observation systems, Germany is deploying a new fleet of reconnaissance satellites, and France has started to war-game space conflict. NATO also is focusing increasingly on space, five years after identifying it as a fifth operational domain beside air, cyber, land and maritime.

• “We are in a hurry,” French space commander says
• London invests in space-based reconnaissance

The European efforts echo those of the U.S., which has become increasingly concerned about looming conflict in space. Those fears have been amplified by Russian GPS jamming, which has disrupted Ukraine’s precision-guided weapons as well as flights in parts of Europe (AW&ST July 1-14, p. 46). The Pentagon has warned about what it views as a new Russian anti-satellite weapon launched in May. France has said Russia’s Olymp-K satellite, in orbit since 2014, has tried to intercept communications from Athena-Fidus, a French-Italian satellite used for military communications.

It is not just Russia driving demand. China has been “developing, testing and fielding capabilities intended to target U.S. and allied satellites,” the Pentagon said in a December report.

As threats proliferate in this new domain, Western governments have been seeking to bolster their space situational awareness (SSA). France, in response to worrying maneuvers by Russian spacecraft around French satellites, is developing systems that can better track what is happening, says Gen. Philippe Adam, the French Air and Space Force space commander.

“We are in a hurry,” he says. “Our adversary has the lead and continues to progress.”

France plans to launch the Yoda demonstration program for space patrol missions this year, followed by the Egide operational systems. Yoda, which stands for “in-orbit eyes for an agile demonstrator” in French, consists of two nanosatellites that would operate in geostationary orbit.

Egide should be deployed around 2027-28, Adam says. Those satellites could use jammers or directed-energy payloads to counter space threats. The spacecraft may be kept on the ground, ready to launch at a moment’s notice.

France also is counting on cooperation with partners and allies such as Australia, Japan and South Korea. When land-based sensors on French territory, such as the Graves radar system for low Earth orbit (LEO) monitoring, begin to track a spacecraft, cooperation is needed to continue global tracking. In return, France has agreed to furnish partner countries with similar data in a process that Adam says is working well.

Collaboration with civil satellite operators is equally paramount, he notes. France’s in-orbit assets can provide valuable information to guide French Air and Space Force actions. “In return, we can contribute to their protection,” Adam says.

The French military also is purchasing data from LeoLabs, a U.S. company specializing in LEO object tracking. Adam is looking forward to seeing competing sovereign service from LookUp Space, which was founded by French Air and Space Force Maj. Gen. (ret.) Michel Friedling, who retired as head of France’s space command two years ago.

Late last year, Australia, the UK and the U.S. agreed to work on a Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability to detect, track and characterize objects in geosynchronous orbit or even farther out. Each country plans to field all-weather-capable sensors to provide SSA. Australia expects its system to be operational in 2026; the others aim to put theirs online before the end of the decade.

The European Union has awarded a Leonardo-led consortium a 48-month contract for the European Military Integrated Space Situational Awareness and Recognition capability. This program seeks to use land- and space-based sensors to detect and track objects from LEO to geosynchronous Earth orbit.

In parallel, many countries are upgrading their in-orbit capabilities. Germany in June 2022 launched the first of a new constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft, Airbus’ SARah-1, which became operational in October. The country augmented the phased-array system with two OHB-made reflector satellites that were launched in December.

The UK also is looking to boost its Earth observation capability after relying for years on the U.S. for much of its space-based imagery collection. The UK Space Command’s Tyche electro-optical demonstration satellite, the first of its kind for the country, is due to be launched July 8 on a SpaceX Falcon 9.

The Tyche spacecraft, built by Airbus’ Surrey Satellite Technology, is due to operate in LEO as part of the UK’s Istari surveillance and intelligence-gathering program, created in 2021. The 150-kg (331-lb.) spacecraft is designed for a five-year service life with resolution of less than 1 m (3.3 ft.), although it is not designed to be a high--performance spy satellite.

Juno, another Earth observation spacecraft, is to follow Tyche into LEO in 2026 or 2027. Juno is planned to provide an operational capability that can also work in collaboration with partners abroad. The UK Space Command is leading the project, with the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory and the Defense Equipment & Support acquisition organization involved as well.

In addition, the UK plans to award a contract this year for a SAR satellite under Project Oberon to serve military and government users. The system is expected to comprise three LEO spacecraft launching in 2026 or 2027. London also is developing a hub to task Minerva satellites, as well as collect, process and disseminate the data.

Other European countries are pursuing similar capabilities. An Italian 2023 defense equipment plan spelled out interest in a fleet of reconnaissance satellites for geostationary and LEO. Rome also said it wants to explore development of an independent space-launch capability with an air-launched rocket to deploy small spacecraft.

Moreover, the EU is looking to enhance its Earth observation capabilities as part of a drive to strengthen its defense posture. Germany’s OHB is leading an industry team examining the development needs of an EU Earth observation service for government users that could involve new satellite surveillance systems.

The 12-month study kicked off in March, says Matteo Tugnoli, OHB’s vice president of EU affairs. The team will assess user needs and gaps before narrowing down the most promising technical and programmatic options.

The study is one of several initiatives exploring the concept of electro-optical government service proposed in the EU’s 2023 Space Strategy for Security and Defense. Any follow-on project would first be approved by member states and the European Commission, likely within the next multiannual financial framework for 2028-34, Tugnoli says.

OHB also is coordinating development on the EU’s Odin’s Eye program. Currently in its initial study phase, Odin’s Eye would involve a satellite-based early warning system that detects and tracks both hypersonic and ballistic missiles. The EU has committed about €97 million ($104 million) to the project.

The next phase, dubbed Odin’s Eye 2, is due to begin in September, Tugnoli says. That will focus on defining, developing, integrating and verifying the entire mission and system simulator.

France is bolstering its Earth observation capacity as well, and plans to launch a third satellite for the CSO Earth observation program before year-end, following delays linked to schedule slippage with the new Ariane 6 launcher. France began deploying the constellation in 2018. The third satellite should boost revisit rates.

Preparations for a more contested space environment go beyond hardware. France last year focused its AsterX military space exercise on space surveillance and protection of national assets. This year’s drill involved a simulated hostile spacecraft in LEO.

The fourth AsterX took place in Toulouse at a site belonging to French space agency CNES, where the country is centralizing military space capabilities that had been scattered over three locations. The new Space Command headquarters is planned to be ready in 2025 and to house 500 staff. In addition, it will accommodate the NATO Space Center of Excellence—another 60 personnel.