Europe's space dependence on America proves hard to escape

Europe's dependence on American space capabilities is under scrutiny after disruptions to Ukraine's Starlink service and intelligence sharing, accelerating European efforts to build independent alternatives. The gap is most acute in satellite internet, where Europe's OneWeb lags far behind Starlink's 10,000-plus satellites. The EU plans a €15bn IRIS 2 constellation by 2029, while Germany pursues its own military network, raising duplication concerns. European progress in space-based surveillance is faster, with startups like Iceye launching small spy satellites, though ballistic-missile warning systems remain a decade away. Launch capacity remains a critical bottleneck, as Europe's Arianespace launches fewer rockets at higher costs than SpaceX, and a looming Falcon 9 retirement threatens capacity. European officials warn that achieving economies of scale requires sustained demand and long-term investment commitments.