Today, Europe is on the move to establish a resilient ecosystem of sovereign launch capabilities on European territory and beyond, by working through partnerships. But Europe needs to plan its next move to catch up in the race: from sovereign to responsive access to space.
Responsiveness and speed to serve military needs on demand, be it replacing or adding a satellite/service, whenever needed, is crucial in times of geopolitical tensions and strong dependence of military operations on space services.
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Responsiveness is becoming a defining measure of sovereignty in space and will ultimately separate autonomy from dependency.
In June, when the U.S. Space Force launched the tactically responsive space mission VICTUS HAZE with Rocket Lab from New Zealand in less than 17 hours after notice, it demonstrated what be Europe’s next level of ambition. Beyond autonomous and sovereign access to space, Europe should target responsive and rapid launch on demand; the value of international launch cooperation and legally backed flexibility to launch from foreign territory; as well as the expansion of responsive space beyond launch, with the demonstration of in-orbit SDA threat-response scenarios.
While Europe has been recovering from the launcher crisis and now still has to handle limited sovereign launch capabilities to serve steadily rising military demand to be launched until 2030 (IRIS², SatCom BW4, SPOK2, and others), the U.S. and China are in a race in launch cadence and responsive space capabilities, expanding and diversifying launch sites and options. While the U.S. strategy is based on private launch service providers and reusable launch vehicles, China counts on rapidly deployable and smaller solid-fuel launchers.
Beyond access to domestic launch infrastructures, both follow a strategy of diversifying launch sites through bilateral partnerships, to improve their resilience and responsiveness: the U.S. through technology safeguard agreements (TSA), so far signed with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, the U.K., Norway and Sweden, while China is in talks for launch cooperation with Djibouti (on hold, due to legal hurdles) and Malaysia.
In Europe, responsive space remains at an early stage in terms of technological maturity and institutional and operational readiness – and primarily focused on the launch. European launchers developed by commercial launch providers under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) European Launcher Challenge are in different stages of development and operational readiness but will ultimately form a resilient European ecosystem of launchers. Europe is currently also establishing launch sites in Europe in Sweden, Norway, and the U.K., with others under consideration in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Denmark, as well as additional sites with international partners.
The European approach for responsive launch is three-fold: building up own capabilities as an expansion of sovereign access to space from European (continent) territory (ELC, launch sites) and in dedicated initiatives for responsive space at European (for example, EDF project REACTS) and national levels; involvement in international multinational initiatives (such as NATO STARLIFT, RSC MoU, CSpO); and bilateral agreements with international partners for launch.
In a similar fashion to U.S. launch operators partnering with European spaceports under the TSA framework, European launch companies have also entered agreements with international partner spaceports, diversifying access to different orbits (e.g. being able to serve different demands) and flexibility in terms of options – ranging from Northern, to equatorial and Southern territory; from fixed to mobile launch options; and from vertical to horizontal launch.
For example, Spain’s PLD Space and Germany’s HyImpulse entered into agreements with Oman’s Etlaq Spaceport; HyImpulse signed an agreement with Australia’s Southern Launch to launch its SL1 rocket from Australia’s Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex (with suborbital launch already taking place from Australia’s Koonibba Test Range); and German launcher Isar Aerospace partnering with Maritime Launch Services to launch from Nova Scotia in Canada. Also, institutional partnerships emerged, for example Italy refurbishing the Kenya-based offshore launch facility. Beyond bilateral attempts, NATO Starlift is also opening for cooperation beyond European and non-European (the U.S., Canada) allies, with international partners like South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
How about cooperation within Europe? Similarly to other priorities in military space (such as satcom), there is a visible trend towards national fragmentation in Europe, also affecting access to space and responsive launch.
Looking at Germany, driving military space in Europe with its ground-breaking 35 billion euro ($40 billion) space defense budget, sovereign access to space and responsive launch is considered as a high priority. This is highlighted in Germany’s continued support of the European Launcher Challenge at ESA CM25 and the success of Germany’s three microlauncher companies (in particular Isar Aerospace’s first successful launch from Andoya in September 2026); and its 2023 security strategy and 2025 space safety and security strategy (2025). It is also demonstrated by the high-level visit by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Space Minister Dorothee Bär to Andoya Spaceport and the agreed enhanced launch and military space cooperation with Norway in a dedicated working group and at industry level. Last but not least, Germany’s commitment is demonstrated by the plan to establish a national launch site for the German armed forces, declared by Pistorius, and continued efforts to explore the feasibility of launching from the North Sea, but also other launch locations in the Atlantic and near the equator.
“Until 2030, we plan to finance projects worth 35 billion euro. … Germany also needs secure, on-demand transport capacities into space. Our focus is on a mix of small carrier rockets enabling flexible deployment and, in the medium term, European heavy-lift launchers to be developed,” Defence Minister Pistorius said in a speech in September 2025.
Another strategic move — in the context of the Victus Haze mission launch and Germany’s launch options expansion — is Rocket Lab’s new site in Germany, and, in the same week of this announcement, Rocket Lab unveiling its GHOST portable spaceport system for flexible responsive launch globally.
Also, several other European nations are developing responsive space capabilities. France announced additional 4.2 billion euros ($4.8 billion) in funding for military space activities through 2030, including for reusable and low-cost launcher development as well as ground and orbital response capabilities. The 2025 French Space Strategy positions responsiveness as a core feature it strives to develop within its ecosystem. In Italy, a consortium completed a suborbital demonstration of an air-launched rocket system, marking a step towards flexible/mobile horizontal air launch.
To wrap it up: Europe has a policy interest in responsive space but limited institutional and operational readiness. Europe must develop spaceports, mobile platforms, and launchers in a coherent framework tying together innovation, regulation, and procurement.
Europe’s sovereignty will continue to be challenged if upcoming military demand cannot be served by sovereign launch options — which will not be feasible with the currently planned cadence of Ariane 6. A European responsive space system needs to be integrated into a flourishing European launch system, governed through a mechanism that ensures short-notice prioritization of European military launch.
International cooperation will help develop responsive launch capabilities and will strengthen Europe’s hand in international partnerships, reducing asymmetric dependency. Linked to the required regulations for European access to space, Europe should, within the scope of the EU Space Act and national laws, develop a TSA-inspired technology safeguards framework for international launch site diversification to ensure that sensitive technologies are handled responsibly on foreign territory.
The development of domestic responsive space capabilities and sovereign /autonomous access to space, paired with international multinational and bilateral cooperation for additional resilience and flexibility, is crucial for Europe to catch up in responsive space.
Lina Pohl is a research fellow seconded by DLR, European Space Policy Institute (ESPI). Views expressed in this piece are her own in a personal/private capacity and not necessarily those of the German Space Agency.
