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Space

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Satellite constellations, new launchers, lunar programs... Innovations in the space sector are shaking up global political, industrial and strategic dynamics.

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The new Ship Rocket flies to another planet. A spaceship flies into starry airspace. The rocket begins its mission into space. Concept. Journey to the cosmos.
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Publications
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Crowded and Dangerous Orbits: European Space Governance at a Time of Potentially Saturating Programs

Date de publication
18 February 2022
Accroche

The unprecedented growth of space activities, the multiplication as well as diversification of players involved in the exploitation of outer space, and even, more generally, the dependence of all sectors of activity on space infrastructures are some of the main phenomena that have led to a progressive overuse of orbits and to saturation in the frequency spectrum. 

Alain DE NEVE
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China's Quantum Dream: A Giant's Aspirations in the Infinitely Small

Date de publication
14 February 2022
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Quantum physics, a field little known to the general public and relatively difficult to grasp as its laws are counter-intuitive, constitutes nevertheless a critical field of international strategic competition.

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Indian Space Program and its Drivers: Possible Implications for the Global Space Market

Date de publication
28 January 2022
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India has one of the oldest space programs in the world with space playing a critical role in India’s national development and external power projection capability.

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Helium‑3 from the lunar surface for nuclear fusion?

01 December 2021
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Since 1969, the return of a human mission to the Moon has never seemed so close. Although scientific interest continued to flourish, space programmes had for many decades abandoned it in favour of the International Space Station and missions to explore the solar system.

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Video replay - Space and Quantum Technologies: What Strategies and Industrial Models for Europe? 

20 November 2021
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Watch the video replay of the conference organized by Ifri's Geopolitics of Technology program on November 18, 2021. 

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China Space Station First Step in Country's Plans to Colonize Space

17 June 2021
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China's far-reaching ambition for a permanent presence in outer space began in earnest on Thursday with the launch of its first crew bound for a new space station.

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Commercial Space in Europe: A Balancing Act between Physics, Politics and Profession

Date de publication
03 June 2021
Accroche

Satellite constellations have become core elements of the digital transition. Over the next decade, several thousand satellites will have to be launched, to build these constellations.  For positioning satellites, preferably in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), reliable and affordable launch services are essential.

KP LUDWIG
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Destination Moon: is it time for us to send astronauts back?

30 May 2021
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The series For All Mankind (2019) is a fictional alternate history that imagines a world where the Soviet Union was the first power to send an astronaut to the moon. From that starting point, the two rival superpowers compete to establish their own lunar station.

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Towards a strategic agenda for the E3. Opportunities and risks for France, Germany and the UK

Date de publication
28 April 2021
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This paper explores how the E3 format – involving France, Germany and the UK – might develop in response to the challenges presented by the UK’s departure from the EU. The paper outlines how the trilateral format has supported policymaking to date, most notably in dialogue on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Alice BILLON-GALLAND Richard G. WHITMAN
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China's Ambitions in Space: The Sky's the Limit

Date de publication
20 January 2021
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From the dawn of China’s space program in the mid-1950s to the ability to build, launch and operate satellites in low Earth and geosynchronous orbits from the 1980s, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is in 2021 a complete space power with autonomous access to outer space and to deep-space exploration.

The Use of Space for Maritime Security in Europe

Date de publication
30 June 2011
Accroche

The EU is currently developing a Maritime Security Strategy. Space should be integrated in that effort, given its potential for maritime surveillance.

The Development of Public-Private Partnerships in the European Satcom Sector

Date de publication
19 May 2011
Accroche

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) could help to enhance the societal benefits of communication satellites. However, European public entities must avoid the mistakes made during the Galileo concession negotiations.

Laurence NARDON Christophe VENET

GMES, the Second Flagship

Date de publication
06 March 2011
Accroche

The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Program is often overshadowed by what is perceived to be the flagship program of European space, Galileo. As a matter of fact, GMES is just as important and faces many similar challenges.

Final Call for a European Space Strategy

Date de publication
25 January 2011
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Space poses both an opportunity and a challenge for Europe. And so does the new provision of the Lisbon Treaty - article 189 TFEU - that awards the EU an explicit competency on space.

Joao M. SANTOS

Galileo, the Long Road to European Autonomy

Date de publication
21 December 2010
Accroche

Galileo is one of the most ambitious programs ever managed by the EU. As such, it illustrates the challenges and the opportunities offered by the development of a European Space Policy at the political, industrial, economic and international level.

The Evolving Architecture of Space and Security

Date de publication
17 November 2010
Accroche

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.

MALE Drones: Europe's Options?

Date de publication
26 May 2010
Accroche

European countries, lead by France, are expected to take a decision soon on the development and acquisition of MALE drones.

Their choices will be crucial not only for the preservation of European operational sovereignty in military terms but also to guarantee the future of the European aerospace industry.

Louis-Marie CLOUET Laurence NARDON

Towards Greater Security in Outer Space: Some Recommendations

Date de publication
12 November 2009
Agnieszka LUKASZCZYK Laurence NARDON Ray WILLIAMSON

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Related centers and programs
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Russian spaceship in orbit of planet Earth, View from the ISS station
Space Program
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Space has become a crucial theme in the main international think tanks’ research activities as it entails important strategic, economic, and technological issues.

Since 2001, Ifri has integrated space in its research, notably by ensuring that the political dimension of scientific and human exploration programs is emphasized, and by supporting reflections on the Code of Conduct for Outter Space Activities.

Today, as part of its research agenda, Ifri mobilizes several of its centers and programs to transversally tackle the theme of space, through three main inputs:

  • the competition of powers, driven by the Sino-American rivalry;
  • critical points related to mastery of space, such as the issue of autonomous access to space or the mega-constellations necessary for the digital revolution;
  • these developments’ challenges for Europe and its status as a space power.

Since the Summer 2020, Ifri has been coordinating a tripartite European Space Governance Initiative, together with two other renowned European think tanks: the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik (DGAP) in Germany and the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) in Italy.

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