A meeting within the framework of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union on the space domain is being held this Wednesday in Toulouse. Emmanuel Macron is to deliver a speech there with the main theme of European sovereignty.
Europe is a major player in the space field. However, its ambitions remain less than those of the United States, China and even Russia. Should we settle for a status quo or on the contrary go up a gear? This will be the subject of discussions during the meeting this Wednesday with all the European ministers concerned by the file.
There will be a lot of talk about sovereignty. The subject is essential in the eyes of the French Presidency of the Council of the Union. Firstly in terms of access to space, thanks to launchers, Ariane 5 and soon Ariadne 6but also the micro-launcher projectscheaper and more skillful.
Also in terms of communication in order to no longer depend on American tools. Europe has been able to do this with navigation, supplanting GPS with its own Galileo system. This time it will be a question of discussing the putting into orbit of a constellation of satellites whose contours remain to be defined.
Space exploration and debris
The theme of exploration will also be discussed. Europe today depends on the Russians and the Americans to send its astronauts into space. Should we be able to do it in a sovereign way? The question is still unresolved.
Finally, Europe intends to serve as a model on the issue of space debris. They multiply, but no agreement regulates them. A draft regulation will thus be discussed.
► Read also: Military space: France in the big leagues