Perspectives Spatiales 2025: a call for unity to ensure a sovereign and competitive future

For its 13th edition, the Perspectives Spatiales conference brought together experts and decision-makers from the private and public branches of the French and European space sector to discuss the following theme: "Competitiveness and sovereignty, what ambitions for French space industry?". At a time when international competition is intensifying, a consensus is emerging on a common imperative: France and Europe are ideally placed to meet these challenges, and we must act together to guarantee our strategic autonomy and the competitiveness of our space industry.

The opening speeches set the tone: "Action is urgently needed", said Hervé Derrey, Chairman of the GIFAS Space Commission, underlining the tensions and structural transformations that are challenging the sector at a pivotal time. Speeches by Philippe Baptiste (French Minister for Higher Education and Research), Andrius Kubilius (European Commissioner for Defence and Space) and Marc Ferracci (French Minister for Industry and Energy) illustrated the importance of these issues. Andrius Kubilius pointed out that "whoever controls space, controls the future", stressing the need for a stronger European strategy for defence and industrial competitiveness.

"Working together in Europe we can catch up, we can lead" Andrius Kubilius,European Commissioner for Defence and Space

The various speakers were unanimous on the importance of guaranteeing Europe's strategic autonomy. In this respect, the commercial launch of Ariane 6 represents a true model of success for the European space industry, and an essential milestone for maintaining an independent European gateway to space and ensuring balanced competition within the space sector. Manufacturers and researchers are dedicated to further developing and strengthening the excellence of an innovative and fully committed industry.

The success of the Copernicus and Galileo European space programmes is proof of this excellence and demonstrates that France has the skills and technology to make its mark on the world stage. However, European industry needs to organise itself to meet the new challenges, which are intensifying competition and highlighting the fragmentation of the European space sector.

Jean-Marie Bétermier, Executive Vice President Space, Safran Electronics & Defense, said: "This fragmentation is killing us and preventing us from becoming a major player." The players in the sector responded in unison with the term "coopetition": knowing how to combine competition — which generates tension, innovation and competitiveness — and cooperation, focused on a shared goal, avoiding redundancies to optimise public and private investment.

In this context, the so-called "NewSpace" dynamic, mobilising everyone within the ecosystem — newcomers as well as more established players — provides a capacity for innovation and agility, demonstrating the importance of working towards a common vision and integrating start-ups into the overall industrial strategy, for a stronger French and European space industry.

"There's a real desire to create complementarity and synergy, to get major and minor players working together in a coherent way." Olivier Piepsz, CEO Prométhée Earth Intelligence

France is a driving force in the European space industry, making a significant contribution to technological innovation and to the current and future competitiveness of the space sector in Europe.

« France's world-class space companies are not only French champions. They are European champions. In large part thanks to the French space industry and its cooperation with other European champions, Europe is a Global Space Power. We have: Galileo – the best satellite navigation system in the world; Copernicus – the best Earth observation system in the world; IRIS2 – in the future, the best space-based secure connectivity system in the world. Thanks to France, Europe is a leading space power. For now.» Andrius Kubilius,European Commissioner for Defence and Space

In order to fully embark on this path, it is therefore essential to establish more coherent and ambitious governance for the European space sector. Philippe Baptiste, the French Minister for Higher Education and Research, warned: "We must acknowledge the limits of our current model and not miss out on any major strategic shifts."

Marc Ferracci underlined the government's determination to make France a leading industrial nation, and the central role of the space industry in this ambition. He also stressed the government's determination to mobilise funding to support the sector's industrial competitiveness.

"The future of our space sector is not guaranteed: we need to invest, accelerate and innovate." Marc Ferracci, French Minister for Industry and Energy

ESA Director General Joseph Aschbacher commented that, ultimately, "the real turning point lies in global regulation." An ambitious project, to be sure, but a decisive one in the global race to control space, where Europe still holds all the cards, but can no longer afford to make mistakes.

Driven by a shared determination, the players in the space sector also came together around a common objective: the sustainability of space infrastructures and operations. Faced with international competition, Europe is establishing itself as a leading player in its own right; European nations must work together to influence global regulatory decisions, particularly on space traffic management. To achieve this, everyone can count on European technological excellence and on France's commitment to supporting "industry and innovation for sustainable space, whatever the cost." Solutions are already on the way: interoperability of systems, services to extend satellite service life, codes of good conduct, etc.

The conference revealed a number of key strategic directions for the future of European space: asserting robust competitiveness on an international scale, clarifying European governance to avoid dispersal of resources, and proposing a European model for sustainable space. The IRIS² programme and the imminent launch of the first commercial flight of Ariane 6 highlight the importance of greater synergy between industrial and institutional players. This 2025 edition of Perspectives Spatiales, organised by GIFAS and Novaspace, underlined the fact that, more than ever, a solid, long-term partnership between governments and industry — backed by targeted funding, a clear strategic and political ambition and the commitment of the entire industry — is the key to addressing the future of the space sector with confidence and boldness.