This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: "Seeing the Earth from above is a powerful reminder of our interdependence," said Thomas Pesquet. The words of France's 10th astronaut to head into space are a reminder of how we are "in this together," something the world's aerospace industry players should take heed of as they gather in Paris for the first International Space Summit from Sept. 9–10.
The event is a prime occasion for showcasing Europe's ambitions in orbit, namely France's National Space Strategy 2025–2040, but the summit more importantly underscores a lesson from Europe's space history: Its greatest successes have come through cooperation, not countries acting alone. As competition in space intensifies, that collective strength may matter more than ever. A new space race is underway, and not just its scale but its nature is changing.
The sector is entering an era marked by intensifying rivalry between EU member states—but also by an unprecedented degree of industrial and technological interdependence. For Europe, it's not about managing a contradiction; it's about taking the only viable path forward. The continent's space ambitions, and ultimately its strategic autonomy, now depend on a single underlying mechanism: multilateral "coopetition," a deliberate blend of cooperation and competition between several rivals.
Four flagship European programs—Galileo, Copernicus, Clean Sky and IRIS²—show why collaboration, not national or corporate self-sufficiency, has become Europe's only realistic route to sovereignty in space. Nearly $137 billion: That is the record level of global space spending in 2025, announced at the France's 14th Perspectives spatiales conference, which gathers institutional, industrial and academic players from across the sector. This colossal sum is sharpening appetites everywhere.
But it is also exposing a structural truth: Mastering the entire space value chain is now beyond the reach of any single state, agency or company—including the most powerful ones. Even Europe's largest industrial players are compelled to work with their direct competitors. French firm Thales Alenia Space and Germany's OHB System are jointly developing radar instruments for the European Space Agency's (ESA) Harmony mission, which monitors changes in Earth's shape.
More recently, Dassault Aviation and OHB System joined forces to pitch ESA a multipurpose space plane, VORTEX-S. These are not isolated alliances of convenience. They are the visible tip of a much deeper European strategic shift: from competing for sovereignty to building it together.
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