EU Warns Satellite Demand Is Outpacing Launch Capacity

(MENAFN) The European Union is facing a widening mismatch between the growing need for satellite launches and the capacity currently available to send spacecraft into orbit, European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius said Wednesday.

Speaking at the EU Access to Space Conference in Brussels, Kubilius said Europe had moved beyond its previous launcher crisis but was now confronting another major challenge as demand for launch services continues to rise.

“Today, we're at a tipping point. We overcame the launcher crisis, but now we face the next maybe even bigger challenge,” Kubilius said.

Around 50,000 satellites are expected to be launched globally over the coming decade, while available launch capacity is not expanding quickly enough to meet anticipated demand, according to Kubilius.

“The result, fierce competition for limited launch opportunities, huge increase in prices, putting national and European space ambitions at risk,” Kubilius said.

The EU is expected to require 62 launches by 2034 to support major space initiatives such as Galileo, Copernicus and IRIS². Kubilius said European demand for launches could increase nearly sixfold during the period.

“Ariane (launch vehicle) is set to launch 10 times a year, but we will need 14 launches in 2031 alone,” Kubilius said. “Vega will launch six times a year, but we will need eight Vega launches in 2030 alone.”

He added that the capacity challenge extends beyond launch vehicles themselves, with Europe also needing sufficient ground infrastructure, including launch facilities and sites used to test space hardware.

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