7/30/2026
EUROPE MUST RETHINK SPACE EXPLORATION
From publicly funded space exploration to the Orbital Economy. A strategy for sovereignty, prosperity and security
The space exploration industry is evolving from a government-driven high-tech sector into the foundation of a new industrial value chain – the Orbital Economy. The global market volume is estimated to exceed 1.7 trillion euros by 2040. The United States and China are heavily investing in this development, pursuing a clear industrial and geopolitical strategy in the process. In recent years, Europe has repeatedly underestimated the potential for visionary space exploration companies to give rise to entirely new industries.
The consequences are evident: Tesla accelerated the structural transformation of the automotive industry, while SpaceX transformed the global launch vehicle market with Falcon and Starship and triggered Europe’s launcher crisis. Today, Starlink is redefining the market for satellite-based communications. With its industrial base and research landscape, as well as the announced investments in space exploration and defense, Europe has the means to rapidly close the gap with the United States and China through targeted and radical innovation. Europe must not let this historic opportunity slip away once again.
SPRIND views space exploration as a starting point for new industrial value chains and new markets. The development of a European orbital economy will not be achieved through research and traditional funding programs alone. It requires breakthrough innovations and entrepreneurial ecosystems that deliberately depart from existing technological and economic development paths.
Building on this, SPRIND can establish a long-term portfolio of mission-oriented challenges that address the five stages of Orbital Economy development and specifically foster the emergence of new markets, companies and industrial value creation in Europe.
To achieve these goals, SPRIND proposes a strategy consisting of five phases:
Establishing competitive European round-trip transportation systems as the foundation for all economic and security-related activities in space.
a. European Responsive Space Capability: The time between making the decision to launch a rocket and its actual launch must be reduced to just a few hours.
b. The European Spaceplane: Development of a spaceplane capable of horizontal takeoff and landing for point-to-point transport.
Developing advanced communication, navigation and Earth observation systems to serve as Europe’s digital backbone.
a. European Satellite Internet: Development of an economically viable and security-resilient communications infrastructure involving commercial NewSpace companies.
b. AI-Native Earth Observation: Use real-time information; independently identify, prioritize and disseminate events relevant to the economy, administration and security.
c. Next-Generation Navigation: Development of centimeter-accurate positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services.
d. European Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) Layer: An intelligent, highly dynamic infrastructure layer for civilian, industrial and security-related applications in ultra-low Earth orbit.
e. Orbital Traffic Management as the Traffic Control System of the Orbital Economy: An integrated space situational awareness system for satellites, spacecraft and space debris to predict collisions, similar to air traffic control, in the long term.
Development of a European Low Earth Orbit (LEO) economy based on the pillars of infrastructure, data, production and the circular economy.
a. Industrial Infrastructure of the Orbital Economy: Commercial space stations, maintenance service providers, and transport and return systems.
b. Orbital Computing as Europe’s Next Data Infrastructure: Industrial data should be processed at the point of origin to ensure fast and secure information flow.
c. Weightlessness as a New Factor of Production: Microgravity provides environmental conditions that Europe should strategically leverage for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, semiconductor, materials and quantum technology sectors.
d. Circular Orbital Economy: High investment costs require closed-loop value chains to keep costs low in the long term.
Positioning Europe in the space between Earth and the Moon as the next stage of industrial development.
a. European Cislunar Logistics: An independent, autonomous European transportation and logistics architecture connecting Earth, lunar orbit and the lunar surface.
b. Self-Sustaining Lunar Infrastructure: Autonomous construction and exploration systems, energy supply, and autonomous communication and navigation networks.
Development of highly self-sufficient technologies for Mars with direct benefits for industry, sustainability and resilience on Earth.
a. Deep Space as a Technology Platform: Development of fully closed-loop life and resource cycles, highly autonomous robotics, smart energy supply, and AI-based operation and maintenance systems.
b. Deep-Tech Transfer to Earth: Systematic transfer of deep-space activities as a driver of innovation for Europe’s sustainable transformation.
Europe still has the opportunity to play an active role in shaping this new economic area. However, the window of opportunity is quickly closing. Those who are building the Orbital Economy today are shaping industrial value creation for the coming decades.
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