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The Evolving Architecture of Space and Security

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The evolving architecture of space and security
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Today, Europe is taking initiatives both to prevent space weaponization and to develop space militarization. While national States remain the central players in this regard, the intergovernmental European Space Agency is increasingly involved in security-related activities and the European Union is showing growing political ambitions in this area.

Corps analyses

While a small group of European countries led by France launched an observation system for intelligence purposes in the 1980s, Europe only started to take an interest in military space after the end of the Cold War in the 1990s.

Military uses of space encompass two broad categories. On the one hand, space assets can be used to support military operations on the ground. This trend, called “space militarization”, started during the Cold War with the intensive use of Earth Observation (EO) and telecommunication satellites by the United States and the Soviet Union. The rise of satellite navigation applications in the early 1990s then allowed space to become a real “force multiplier” for military forces. On the other hand, space could become a war environment in itself, with space systems being targeted by so called anti-satellite weapons (asats). The deployment of such weapons by the U.S. and the Soviet Union never materialized during the Cold War, but the evolution towards “space weaponization” has figured at the top of the international agenda in recent years. It was fueled by the U.S. military space doctrine aiming at “space dominance” and the Chinese asat test of January 2007. While space militarization has been recognized by the UN ever since the 1960s and is today accepted by all countries, space weaponization now appears to most as a dangerous evolution and is the subject of several arms control and confidence-building efforts. Today, Europe is active in both these areas. A number of military applications are developed either by European countries, or under the leadership of the European Union – the future beneficiary within the EU being the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP); EU member states also drafted a Code of Conduct (CoC) for Outer Space Activities, an original and key initiative to ensure stability in the space environment.

 

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978-2-86592-788-3

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The Evolving Architecture of Space and Security

Decoration
Author(s)
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Bâtiment de l'Ifri, Logo, Paris

Christophe VENET

Intitulé du poste

Ancien chercheur associé

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Laurence NARDON

Laurence NARDON

Intitulé du poste

Responsable du Programme Amériques de l'Ifri

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China-Russia Cooperation in Space: The Reality behind the Speeches

Date de publication
08 December 2022
Accroche

China-Russia cooperation in space has been increasing for the past two decades. This cooperation accelerated after the Crimea crisis in 2014 and culminated with the announcement in 2021 of the joint construction of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).

Space in a Changing Environment: a European Point of View

Date de publication
28 March 2015
Accroche

The development of European space activities has long been pursued under the framework of the European Space Agency and other national space agencies. More recently, the emergence of the European Union as a new actor for space has paved the way for a series of initiatives and opportunities.

2012, a turning point for Europe in space

Date de publication
09 February 2012
Accroche

In 2012, several crucial decisions lie ahead, most notably at the ESA Ministerial Council next fall and regarding the status of space within the next MFF of the EU. These will reveal the degree of political will to pursue an ambitious ESP in times of economic and financial constraint.

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