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Brussels, Belgium – December 4: NATO logo on December 4, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. (Picture by Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images)
Florian Gaertner | Photothek | Getty Images
Overview: NATO extends to commercial space
NATO has agreed to open a wallet wider, and space and defense players will likely benefit. The Military Alliance’s new commercial space strategy adds cherries to the top.
Now inked, at the vocal best of US President Donald Trump, is a pledge to more than double alliance members’ defense expenditure from 2% to 5% of their gross domestic product by 2035. Some 3.5% of that funding should be funneled towards “pure” defense, while the remaining 1.5% should be slated for security-linked infrastructure, such as cyber warfare capabilities and intelligence.
It is worth noting that NATO sees space as one of the five “operational” domains, as well as air, land, sea and cyberspace Back in 2019. Two years later, it was concluded that an offense within or within the space could pose a threat to the league and trigger the infamous Section 5 stipulates an attack on one member as an attack on everyone. Entering the fine print, the Military Alliance is expected to release its new space doctrine for 2026.
Whether allies (especially Spain’s barely allies) can or will truly reach the 5% target. A glance at NATO figuresOnly Poland can almost assign fragments of its GDP to defense purposes last year at 4.12%, while Washington itself only uses 3.38% of its economic output for this purpose. Overall, there is a ground to be covered. In Europe, the article has been on the wall for months, a 27 EU group formed by a proposal to mobilize 800 billion euros ($936 billion) of defense spending, while Germany relaxes its fiscal debt rules to facilitate safer purchases. Britain began this year, pledging to increase defence spending to 2.5% by April 2027, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been Urgently guaranteed By 2035, it will reach 5% of the goals.
Communication, navigation and surveillance are obvious uses of defense space capabilities, before considering bringing war to the stars. Trump’s ambitious Golden Dome Defensive Shield (his government ticket priced at $75 billion), but some observers say that will take many times – there are already Boeing, Lockheed Martin and even European players fighting for budget action. Just recently, satellite imagery provider Planet Labs won a seven-digit contract to provide NATO with surveillance and intelligence capabilities.
Before reexamining whether Elon Musk’s star-striped links could successfully evacuate Starlink in Ukraine from Ukraine, this is the state where defensive attitudes space operations play a role, where it has been facilitating access to internet data and access to internet data for residential and military purposes. Russian bombing destroyed local mobile networks in its three-year invasion, making third-party satellite communications services essential — but Musk’s previous close relationship with a turbulent Trump, whose support for Keefe has been fluid, raised concerns in Europe about the long-term reliability of Starlink. Whether the inner public showdown of the president and tech billionaires will eliminate these concerns among European leaders is largely supporting Kiev, and it remains to be seen.
Last time we heard that Europe is still pursuing another type of satellite champion to eliminate overwhelming dependence on Ukrainian star-striped links. France’s Eutelsat has already supported government and agency communications in support of Eastern European countries, which is a benefit to the company. Since its merger with the UK’s OneWeb in 2023, the French company has directed more than 650 OneWeb satellites, as well as more than 30 geostationary satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The company announced a 1.35 billion euro capital raise last week, led by the French government, and the company received a decent vote of confidence – the company will become the company’s largest shareholder and own 29.99% stake, among other investors, to enhance its LEO capabilities. As a result, the stock rose to 31%, based on the basis of initial speculation that it could enter Ukraine’s Starlink shoes after recording. It was a nice bump, and it was the day when the half-year profit report was shaped by softer broadcast sales and company costs in a more than expected half-year profit report.
Moreover, this type of private player is not only a marginal consideration for NATO. Just this week, the league released its first ever Business Space Strategyhighlighting three objectives – leveraging business solutions to ensure continuous contact during peace, crisis or conflict, and strengthening coherent relationships with the business sector. The ultimate game is ultimately “helping business partners better understand NATO’s needs, invest in and meet the necessary security measures, including cybersecurity and expanding manufacturing capabilities”, which is far less than the steps NATO purchases its own space Arsenal, but remains a potential benefit for private companies dealing with individual member governments.
What’s going on
- France’s Macron says Europe must become a “space force” again – French President Emmanuel Macron calls for additional investment to ensure competitiveness in the face of the European space industry, urging the region to become “again space power again and the core of France. – France France No. 24
- China tests its own operating system in space – Looking to minimize foreign dependency, Beijing has successfully tested a homegrown operating system, an open source version of Huawei’s Harmonyos – in space on Dalian-1 Lianli Cobesat. – Interesting project
- NASA budget cuts open paths for China’s space ambitions – The proposed budget decoration at NASA has already caused a warning from the European Space Agency about project setbacks, which could pave the way for Beijing’s plans to land on the moon in the next five years. – Unherd
- Trump-Musk showdown shows risks of space advantage – Among other implications, the public controversy between U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk highlights the extent to which NASA’s reliance on tech billionaire SpaceX for future launches. – Space News
- South Korea aims to develop reusable space launch vehicles within ten years – The Korea Aerospace Administration intends to develop the next generation of reusable space launch vehicles by 2035, adjusting the project for approximately $1.53 billion. – Online News
- The first galaxy image of the largest observatory camera – The National Science Foundation has released some of the earliest test images produced by Vera Rubin Versicy that captures light from distant galaxies. – CNN
Industry exercises
- AX-4 crew’s mission head to ISS – SpaceX’s Dragon was launched to the International Space Station with a mission of four-person AX-4 crew, after delayed due to concerns about leaks on the Russian side of the Space Laboratory. – space.com
- Sierra Space opens tech center in Colorado – Space and defense company Sierra Space is building new production eases in Broomfield, Colorado. – Sierra Space
- HALS enables India’s small satellite to launch rockets – India-run Hindustan Airlines (India) will commercially manufacture small satellite launch rockets from India after winning the project with a bid of 51.1 billion rupees (US$59 million). – Reuters
Market promoters
- Executives said Airbus space business was reversed smoothly. Airbus’ space business has been going well, according to company executives, after the unit charged 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in 2024. Space News
- Stocks of Starlink rival Eutelsat Rally after French government backs capital raises – Shares of Eutelsat, a European satellite operator, added 31% to support investments in its low Earth orbit capability after France announced support for 1.35 billion euros ($1.58 billion) in capital raising. – CNBC
- Honda successfully tests reusable rockets – The Honda automaker has completed its launch and vertical landing tests for its “reusable rocket” in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The company has not disclosed its plans to commercialize or deploy booster and rocket technology. – NBC News
On the horizon
- June 28 – SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launch, launched using Starlink satellites in Florida and California.
- June 28 – H-IIA 202 of Japan Aeronautics and Space Exploration, using the Gosat-GW satellite with Tanegashima.
- June 29 – Blue Origin’s new Shepard takes off from Texas on a track crew.
- July 3 – Roscosmos’s news magazine (Soyuz) will be launched to the International Space Station in Hazakhstan with supply goods.