The purpose of this article is to analyse the impact of the financial and economic crisis on the space sector from a political point of view. Its focus is on the institutional space sector rather than on commercial space activities. In addition, Europe is placed at the centre of the analysis and worldwide trends and developments are considered only as structural constraints or enablers for the European space sector. Two interrelated central ideas underlie the article. On the one hand, the crisis can be seen as a test case for the strategic nature of space. On the other hand, it also represents an opportunity to strengthen this strategic aspect of space, in the sense that it could anchor space even further to the European socio-economic framework, in the long term.