Europe is signaling a growing willingness to develop new military space capabilities and more closely integrate them. But moving toward a unified milspace will require high-level political support that remains elusive, government and industry executives say.

French officials have been rallying Europe to put more joint effort into milspace. And while more nations are jumping on the bandwagon, cooperation has been largely ad hoc and with little concern for broader integration.

Germany is preparing to launch its third SARLupe satellite and put the second into service, activating a data exchange deal with France for Helios-2 imagery.Credit: OHB SYSTEM

“We now need to go further,” argues Rear Adm. Phillipe Arnauld, the top French space officer, who noted that the assumption of the European Union presidency by France in July 2008 could provide a key impetus to forge an integrated European milspace program at last.

But a clear consensus doesn’t exist, and funding in France, which would have to underpin any major project, has been decreasing.

Credit: CNES CONCEPT

One of the most promising signals of progress is that the European Space Agency is ready to participate in military-related endeavors, which officials signaled at a conference here last week organized by the French Aeronautics and Astronautics Assn.

ESA representatives said a dual-use space situational awareness system will be proposed soon (see p. 34). Space awareness could provide a test case for Europe to make breakthroughs on information sharing, believes Patrick Chatard-Moulin, a staff official for the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The mission has gained increased attention in Europe after China’s anti-satellite test this year. A senior ESA official says that the consequences are evident daily; half the near-misses of spacecraft by debris in a recent week were linked to parts left over from the ASAT test.

France is cooperating with other European countries on the Helios-2 imaging satellite program, but broader milspace cooperation is planned for the follow-on generation.Credit: DICOD/FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTRY

ESA also may propose a Data Relay Satellite program next year, with a study to start soon.

Although there are questions over ESA’s role in military matters, Frank Zeppenfeldt, an ESA researcher, points out that the agency already works in this area. In fact, ESA may now establish one of its Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (Artes) funding tracks to support milspace requirements.

Artes research and development undertakings already blur the lines with the military. For instance, the AmeriHis two-way broadband onboard switching payload on the Spanish-Brazilian commercial satcom spacecraft, Amazonas-1, has attracted interest from the German and Spanish defense ministries. It is now set to be evaluated by the Pentagon.