Space is becoming an operational battlefield. Satellite collisions or explosions, the risk of cyber attacks or interference and the growing reliance on space-based communication underline this reality. Modern warfare also depends on space technology. To maintain strategic autonomy in the vast domain above us, the European Union must be able to develop, operate and defend its own assets in orbit.
How is the European Union developing space assets
Across the EU, national initiatives exist for satellite imaging and communications, but most are too limited in scale or funding to meet stringent defence requirements. Capabilities such as secure satellite communications, rapid crisis response and continuous high-resolution observation require substantial investment and coordination. Many national programmes cannot achieve such levels alone.
In this context, the European Defence Agency (EDA) plays a central role in bringing Member States together to create collaborative research and innovation for the space domain. Through its specialised Capability Technology Group on Space (CapTech Space), EDA brings together more than 600 experts from 24 Member States, serving as a beating heart of defence Research and Technology (R&T) cooperation across the EU.
Under the Milky Way
Established in 2023, CapTech Space is structured around two priorities: space services and space operations. As identified in the EU’s Capability Development Plan (CDP), the first area focuses on Earth observation, satellite communication, positioning, navigation and timing. Space operations, meanwhile, ensure the launch, early-orbit, monitoring, management, execution and protection of activities related to space missions and assets. This includes ensuring their successful implementation and long-term sustainability in space.
CapTech Space boosts cooperation among participating Member States and with industry to advance research and innovation that supports space capabilities and strategic autonomy, including critical space technologies. It helps move ideas from early research to realistic tests and demonstrations. This approach allows both smaller nations and larger space powers to contribute and benefit from shared efforts.
Projects range from software and hardware research to building and testing prototypes, including satellite development and in-orbit demonstrations. They explore advanced concepts such as artificial intelligence for space situational awareness and Earth observation, new imaging sensors, innovative satellite design, or novel propulsion systems. Others focus on more mature technologies, helping Member States establish pre-operational capabilities that can later feed into future defence programmes.
A sky full of … satellites
One such initiative is Low Earth Orbit to Very Low Earth Orbit (LEO2VLEO). It will deliver Europe’s first defence satellites capable of operating in very low Earth orbit, enabling rapid crisis-response capabilities under European control.
By adjusting their altitude, LEO2VLEO satellites can deliver high-resolution, near-real-time imagery when it matters most, such as during military conflicts or natural disasters. Unlike traditional satellites, they descend to very low Earth orbit to carry out their mission, capturing more detailed data, and then return to a higher, safer orbit once the mission is complete. While VLEO is safer from collisions with space debris because objects eventually burn up, dragged into the Earth’s atmosphere, such altitudes require satellites to deal with surface erosion from atomic oxygen and so need more resistant materials.
The LEO2VLEO project was initiated in the summer of 2025. The design phase is currently progressing, and the selection of launch service providers is underway. It is the first collaborative EDA project to go into orbit and is scheduled to launch by the end of 2027.
LEO2VLEO responds to the growing demand for deployable, cost-effective and sovereign space capabilities. It will deliver an adaptable, low-cost solution within a short timeframe, offering options for different payloads to meet evolving security requirements. By combining off-the-shelf components with targeted research and technology work, the project is quickly advancing toward operational capability.
Through EDA’s CapTech Space, the project helps the EU maintain independent access to strategic information, reducing reliance on external providers. The project also promotes the development of critical technologies in Europe, reinforcing the resilience of the space value chain and decreasing dependence on non-EU suppliers
Where the EU meets the cosmos
To ensure that Europe remains secure and competitive, EDA supports Member States in turning research into tangible capabilities and boosting Europe’s ability to develop, operate and protect its own space assets. The CapTech Space portfolio reflects a broader European effort to secure and safeguard access to space. These initiatives complement other EU and national programmes, promoting interoperability while addressing the challenge of strengthening Europe’s space autonomy.
“Collaboration is the only way forward. Member States alone cannot achieve the level of performance needed for true autonomy,” says Eleni Patouni, EDA’s Project Officer for Space Research & Technology.