Europe Seeks Its Role in Space: 20th ESPI Annual Conference in Vienna

Under the overarching theme of a shared European vision, senior representatives from politics, space agencies, industry, civil society, and academia discussed how Europe can strengthen its space sovereignty while also playing a unifying role in the global community.

Opening Remarks and Historical Perspective: “Per aspera ad astra”

ESPI Director Hermann Ludwig Moeller welcomed the participants at the opening of the anniversary edition. Together with Hubert Büchel (Government Councilor at the Ministry of the Interior, Economy, and Sports of the Principality of Liechtenstein) and Karin Tausz (Managing Director of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG and ESPI co-founder), he looked back on the institution’s beginnings.

Moeller emphasized that ESPI was founded two decades ago on the premise that Europe needed its own space for thought to shape space policy on its own terms. He called on attendees to use the conference as an opportunity to step back from current events and ask fundamental questions about the future. In their keynote addresses titled “Per aspera ad astra,” Dr. Josef Aschbacher (Director General of the European Space Agency, ESA, and ESPI co-founder) and Walther Pelzer (Director General of the German Aerospace Center, DLR) highlighted the growing need for an independent European space strategy.

Political Track: Geostrategic Change and Defense

Moderated by Sinead O’Sullivan (University College Cork / ESPI Advisory Council), members of various national parliaments debated why space has evolved from a niche technical topic into a central political priority.

Klaus-Peter Willsch (Member of the German Bundestag) made it clear that the war against Ukraine had suddenly propelled space to the very top of the political agenda. Germany plans to allocate approximately 35 billion euros for military space applications by 2030. Willsch emphasized that sovereign access to space must be a joint European effort. Lord David Willetts (House of Lords, United Kingdom) pointed out that nearly all space technologies today have dual-use applications—both civilian and military. Europe needs stronger partnerships, particularly in the security sector. Martina von Künsberg Sarre (National Council, Austria) emphasized that autonomy does not mean acting alone. Austria contributes through its specialized industries in areas such as propulsion and optical systems. Andreu Martín Martínez (Congress of Deputies, Spain & Co-President of the Spanish EISC Presidency 2026) described space as a matter of vital importance for Europe’s competitiveness, security, and sovereignty.

Three Core Focus Areas: Earth, the Moon, and Extraterrestrial Life

The technical program centered on three core topics, which were explored in depth on the second day of the conference—opened by Peter Hanke, Austria’s Federal Minister for Innovation, Mobility, and Infrastructure.

During the Earth sessions, experts such as Mauro Facchini (European Commission, DG DEFIS) and Paul Counet (EUMETSAT) emphasized that, despite the current dominance of defense issues, climate change must remain a priority. Facchini highlighted that the European Copernicus program continues to provide the scientific evidence for climate policy. Nicolas Paparoditis (President of ISPRS) called for a new flagship program based on trustworthy data. Jeffrey Apeldoorn (ICEYE) explained how the same radar technology is used for both sea ice monitoring and civil and military security applications.

A lively debate, moderated by Etienne Schneider (former Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg), focused on the question of whether Europe needs its own lunar strategy. Daniel Neuenschwander (ESA Director of Human and Robotic Exploration) outlined the roadmap: learning to land safely, building repeatable landing capabilities, and ultimately establishing a permanent European-led lunar research station. ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst argued that Europe must take the “pilot’s seat” in the Artemis era, rather than remaining merely a passenger. Philipp Reiss (Technical University of Munich) highlighted Europe’s leading role in the exploration of lunar resources and lunar water. Lars Petzold (ESPI) warned that the race to shape legal norms on the Moon is crucial and did not rule out military activities or conflicts over resources such as lunar water in the future.

Moderated by Sascha Quanz (ETH Zurich / LIFE Mission), Daria Robinson (GESDA), Roberto Battiston (ESSC), and Pascale Ehrenfreund (COSPAR) discussed whether the search for extraterrestrial life could serve as a new, integrative large-scale project. Ehrenfreund proposed astrobiology as an international flagship initiative under European leadership. Battiston suggested establishing an international working group within 12 months, while Robinson emphasized that such a project must also involve social scientists and the general public.

New Models for Global Partnerships

A concluding panel discussion led by Alberto Rueda Carazo (ESPI) focused on future models of international cooperation following the end of the International Space Station (ISS).

Aarti Holla-Maini (Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs—UNOOSA) reported on a growing willingness to cooperate among developing countries and industry and called for more investment in capacity building. Ambassador Alison Grant (Canada) emphasized that sustainable partnerships emerge when industry, universities, government agencies, and citizens all benefit equally. Ambassador Ian Biggs (Australia) and Sangho Kim (Korean Academy of Space Security) highlighted shared values and roadmap agreements with Europe aimed at narrowing the gap with the leading space powers.

In closing, ESPI Director Moeller summarized the key findings, followed by closing remarks by Andreas Geisler (Head of the FFG’s Aerospace Agency). Expanded partnerships with the DLR and the European University Institute (EUI) were also formalized during the conference.

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