00:00A revolution is coming in space according to the European Commission.
00:18To honest this, the Bloch's executive has proposed a new Space Act.
00:22Boosting EU's competitiveness in the space sector is the aim.
00:27EU DECODE takes you behind the current space race this week.
00:31The main focus of the law is launchers and satellites, which are increasingly important for activities as diverse as communications, navigation, meteorology and renewable energy.
00:43In 2023, the global space economy was valued at 572 billion euros, according to the European Space Agency.
00:52It's expected to grow by around 9% each year until 2035, when we'll reach 1.6 trillion euros.
01:01But Europe lags far behind the US and has spent just 12 billion euros in public funding on the space industry, compared with 65 billion euros in the US.
01:12The same applies to private investment, 980 million euros in the EU, compared with 3.6 billion euros in the US.
01:21The idea is to create a single market for space, with special support for small and medium-sized companies.
01:31The competition is coming not only from the United States, but also from powers such as China and India.
01:39Let's hear what Europeans have to say about this.
01:42Yes, space industry is important for competitiveness, productivity, so I look at it from economic terms, but not to exploit the space with no rules.
01:51I think a good idea to increase funding, especially for ESA, and to compete in satellite industries.
01:58It seems that we don't count much in this moment, if we are in the US, if we are in the US, if we are in the US, so the role of Europe is a little bit in crisis in this sense.
02:11So it would be right to have a regulation, also to control the space space, because then after a certain time, these satellites go out of use and fall on Earth.
02:23This new law will create a set of common rules across the EU for the space economy.
02:35One of the key pillars is safety to avoid collisions. Why more is needed in this domain?
02:42You need to imagine that above our head, we have a sort of traffic jam.
02:46You've got 11,000 satellites already, and it is expected to have 50,000 more satellites in the next decade.
02:54And adding to that, you have 128 million space debris, so you're increasing the risk of collision.
03:02So the Commission is proposing to minimize the generation of space debris and to do some sharing position data in order to avoid collision.
03:11Another main pillar is resilience, in the sense that the EU assets on space are under threat, namely from hostile powers such as Russia.
03:22What is at stake in that front?
03:24You have to consider space as the new frontier.
03:27So it is a new zone that is contested by cyberattacks or electronic interference, targeting satellites or ground stations, for instance.
03:37And what is at stake is that you could lose the satellite or some services provided by the satellite.
03:43The Commission is proposing to apply the same rule as cybersecurity and also to do a risk assessment throughout the life cycle of a space mission.
03:53Space technology has enabled a lot of developments in other areas, for example, wireless communication, solar panels.
04:02What does the EU need to do in order to become a leader in the global space market?
04:08So the Commission is proposing to have a single market for space.
04:12It is also proposing to reinforce research and innovation, for sure.
04:17And, of course, it is willing to enhance international cooperation and to work with public and private stakeholders throughout the economic spectrum.
04:28This law does not cover military uses, but the EU has already created a defense strategy for space.
04:34The year after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission presented a space strategy for security and defense.
04:44The communication warned of the need to protect space systems, their supporting ground infrastructures and the data connections between them, including through joint space exercises.
04:55Meanwhile, the European Parliament recently commissioned a study on scenarios for space security in 2050.
05:01It warns of possible development of more weapons-targeting satellites and space-based defense systems.
05:09Our guest is Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defense and Space.
05:15Welcome to Euronews.
05:17Some studies say that within a generation, one might be already mining on the moon or manufacturing in space to keep the Earth's atmosphere clear.
05:27Is the EU ready to keep up with the competition with the US, Russia, even China and India on such developments?
05:37We are creating good legal conditions for single market in space industry for Europeans.
05:44So that is in some way simplifying life for those who are engaging in space industry, because if they will be registered, whatever, in Brussels or in Luxembourg or in Germany, then they will be registered in all Europe.
05:59You have already to rely on Elon Musk's SpaceX company to account for delays in the European Ariane satellite launcher program.
06:10Can we find a solution to prevent relying so much on other international companies?
06:17We have several very good systems like Galileo, Copernicus, and now we are building Kairi Square for secure satellite communication.
06:29And in order to service those systems in space, we need to have good transport system.
06:33And that is what Ariane 6 is doing.
06:35But when we are looking into what is coming, we understand that it can be not enough.
06:41We need to build new capacities, both with the launchers, with the rockets, and also maybe with the new launching pads.
06:49So how much of the future European competitiveness fund, within the scope of the 2028-2034 EU budget, should be devoted to space?
07:01And how would you like that money to be used?
07:03Now the total allocation is around 17 billion euros.
07:07So we know that just in order to keep continuation of exploitation of existing systems, we need to have more.
07:14So we need, first of all, to have good surveillance system.
07:17We need to be able to follow what is happening in space.
07:21We need to develop also what we call micro-launching systems, where our start-upers and small and medium-sized business are coming with very good ideas, ambitious ideas.
07:32And I hope that we shall be able really to do what is needed to be done.
07:36Space could still bring many scientific discoveries and activities of economic value.
07:42Will it play host to international cooperation or become an arena of geopolitical competition?
07:49In the race to the final frontier, the EU faces the same challenges as here on Earth.
07:55Is the one that has the role in prime haben?
08:00We need to try to bring everyone to be a philosopher who is grounded in theity of the summit.
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