On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the European Space Agency (ESA), Dr. Enrico Fels, Managing Director of CASSIS Bonn, assesses the security and geopolitical dimensions of European space policy in heute journal. In his interview, he speaks of a “turning point in space” - a paradigm shift that is forcing Europe to question its previous assumptions about strategic autonomy in space.
While ESA was originally founded to pool scientific and technological excellence and keep Europe competitive on the international stage, new security policy challenges are now coming to the fore: from the threat of anti-satellite weapons and cyber attacks on orbital infrastructures to the need to be able to independently guarantee critical space services.
The planned establishment of a cyber security center in Darmstadt is an important step towards resilience and independence. Dr. Fels emphasizes that in view of the increasing competition between the USA, China and Russia, Europe must defend not only economic but also security policy interests in space. This requires a strategic repositioning: more investment, more political coherence and a clear commitment to European space travel as part of a comprehensive security architecture.