France’s Space Vision 2025–2040: Power, Responsibility, Cooperation

🛰 Toulouse, 12 November 2025 — The Dawn of a New European Space Era

In the heart of Toulouse, Europe’s aerospace capital, President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the first operational capability of France’s Space Command (Commandement de l’Espace, CDE) on Air Base 101. In the same ceremony, he unveiled the long-awaited French National Space Strategy 2025–2040 (SNS) — a 15-year roadmap redefining how France, and through it Europe, intends to remain a major power in orbit.

“Space is no longer a frontier of dreams but a condition of independence. If we leave space, we leave history.”

In French

The announcement comes two weeks before the European Space Agency (ESA) Ministerial Council in Bremen and ahead of the European Space Summit that France will host in spring 2026 — moments designed to reshape Europe’s collective ambition in space.

From the Race for Space to the Defence of Sovereignty

Space has become the mirror of geopolitical power. Global public space budgets reached $103 billion in 2024, with the United States accounting for 70%. Europe invests $13 billion — five times less — but France remains the engine, devoting €3 billion per year, the largest space budget in Europe and the second highest per capita worldwide (€47 / inhabitant).

France’s industry produces 50 % of Europe’s space turnover and one-third of its jobs (about 40,000 people across CNES, Airbus Defence & Space, Thales Alenia Space, ArianeGroup, and start-ups).

Yet the global race is accelerating — reusable rockets, AI-driven constellations, quantum links, laser communications and nuclear propulsion are redrawing the rules. The SNS 2025–2040 responds with five pillars and 15 strategic objectives to ensure that France and Europe can still design, launch, defend and govern their own access to space.

Pillar 1 — Autonomous Access to Space

France has long regarded access to space as the cornerstone of its technological and strategic independence. Since the first Ariane launch in 1979, this capability has symbolised Europe’s sovereignty — the ability to reach orbit without depending on non-European launch providers. The first pillar of the National Space Strategy 2025–2040 reaffirms this conviction, positioning it at the heart of France’s contribution to Europe’s collective power.

In a context where launch costs are falling dramatically and private players are redefining global standards, France intends to secure Europe’s independent access to orbit through the continued modernisation of the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) and the sustained operational use of Ariane 6 (Objective 1). This modernisation will transform Kourou into a multi-operator European spaceport, opening it to new small launchers and commercial services while ensuring environmental and economic sustainability.

At the same time, France is preparing for the next generation of launch systems by accelerating research on reusable heavy-lift launchers and new propulsion technologies (Objective 2). Programmes such as Prometheus, Themis, and Callisto — developed jointly with ESA, CNES, and ArianeGroup — represent the first steps toward full or partial reusability, with the potential to cut launch costs by a factor of ten.

This dual approach — protecting strategic autonomy today while preparing for a more flexible and competitive future — is also about defending Europe’s place in a rapidly evolving market dominated by the U.S. and China. The goal is not to imitate the private American model but to create a European path toward autonomy, grounded in cooperation, sustainability, and shared industrial innovation.

Pillar 2 — A Dual, Competitive, and Sustainable Space Economy

The second pillar recognises that Europe’s space industry, though technologically advanced, must evolve to remain globally competitive. The strategy sets out a plan to build a dual ecosystem — one that serves both civilian and defence purposes — and to strengthen the link between traditional aerospace champions and a new generation of start-ups and SMEs.

France intends to restore the competitiveness of the satellite and constellation sector (Objective 3) by coordinating research and industrial resources around key technological priorities: miniaturisation, reprogrammable payloads, in-orbit servicing, artificial intelligence for autonomous satellites, and the development of eco-responsible materials. Large groups such as Airbus Defence & Space, Thales Alenia Space, and Safran will be encouraged to integrate emerging companies from France, Ireland, Germany, and Italy into their innovation pipelines.

In parallel, a National and European Space-Data Strategy (Objective 4) will ensure that the enormous flow of data generated by systems like Copernicus, Galileo, and IRIS² becomes an accessible and secure resource for both public services and the private sector. By 2030, Europe aims to build a “space data commons” — an open infrastructure for climate monitoring, precision agriculture, disaster management, and telecommunications.

Finally, a National Space Skills Plan 2040 (Objective 5) will prepare the next generation of engineers, researchers, and technicians through regional “space clusters” in Toulouse, Paris-Saclay, Brittany, Guyane, and Provence. These initiatives will link universities, technical schools, and industrial partners, ensuring that human capital remains Europe’s most valuable asset.

This pillar marks a cultural shift: France and Europe are no longer treating space as a domain reserved for state agencies, but as an economic driver where public investment stimulates private creativity, and sustainability becomes an integral part of competitiveness.

Pillar 3 — Resilience and Defence

The third pillar addresses the growing strategic vulnerability of orbital infrastructures. Space is no longer a neutral environment but a contested one, where satellites can be jammed, hacked, or physically attacked. France — the first European country to establish a Space Command (Commandement de l’Espace) in 2019 — now aims to move from awareness to action.

A National Resilience Plan (Objective 6) will identify all critical infrastructures — both civil and military — and establish redundancy mechanisms to guarantee service continuity. This includes backup satellites, alternative ground stations, and simulation exercises designed to test crisis response in partnership with the European Union and NATO.

France will also maintain the autonomy of its sovereign constellations, including CSO (optical observation), CERES (electromagnetic intelligence), and Syracuse IV (secure communications), while exploring distributed architectures across multiple orbits such as VLEO and GEO-MEO hybrids (Objective 7).

The country will strengthen its space situational awareness (SSA) through a network of radars, telescopes, and satellites capable of detecting and identifying space debris and hostile actions (Objective 8). These systems will feed into the EU’s EUSST partnership, ensuring that Europe can independently attribute incidents in orbit.

Finally, France is preparing for an active-defence posture in space (Objective 9). This includes deterrence through transparency, attribution, and — if necessary — reversible countermeasures, always within international law. The objective is not militarisation, but resilience through credibility: showing that Europe can protect its assets and those of its partners.

By integrating defence and diplomacy, this pillar lays the foundation for Europe’s strategic autonomy in space — one that relies not only on technology, but on shared responsibility and trust among allies.

Pillar 4 — Science and Exploration

The fourth pillar returns to the heart of France’s space heritage: science, exploration, and the pursuit of knowledge. From the early days of CNES to the missions of the European Space Agency, France has been at the forefront of discovery — from the Ariane 1 to Rosetta, from Gaia to SWOT. The new strategy reaffirms that science is not a luxury but a strategic function of sovereignty and soft power.

France will maintain a human and robotic presence in space (Objective 10), contributing to NASA’s Artemis programme and developing a European reusable cargo vehicle to resupply future lunar stations. The country also intends to continue training astronauts and to strengthen cooperation within ESA’s Human and Robotic Exploration programmes.

Earth-system science will be elevated to the status of a national strategic priority (Objective 11). New missions will address the carbon cycle, biodiversity, and water resources, using hyperspectral sensors and AI-based climate twins to refine environmental models. Satellite observation will become the backbone of France’s ecological and agricultural transition policies.

At the same time, France will continue to invest in astrophysics and planetary science (Objective 12), participating in missions such as Enceladus Orbiter, Uranus Probe, and L5 Solar Monitor, while preparing the next generation of instruments — quantum sensors, photonic spectrometers, and autonomous mini-probes.

This scientific effort will rely on coordination between CNES, CNRS, universities, and industry, ensuring that fundamental research translates into technological breakthroughs. By 2040, Europe aims to position itself as a scientific space power, capable of combining curiosity, responsibility, and innovation to serve humanity’s future on and beyond Earth.

Pillar 5 — Diplomacy and International Cooperation

The final pillar situates France’s space strategy in the global political landscape. It asserts that space is not just a domain of competition but a common good, whose sustainable use requires cooperation and regulation. France therefore intends to play a leading role in defining international norms for responsible behaviour and transparency (Objective 13). Through its active participation in the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and the Conference on Disarmament, France will promote standards for orbital safety, debris management, and the prevention of conflict in space.

Within Europe, Paris calls for a clearer governance structure between institutions (Objective 14): the European Union should provide political direction and funding; the European Space Agency (ESA) should ensure technical design and programme management; and the EUSPA should operate and commercialise services. This division of labour would strengthen efficiency, accountability, and Europe’s ability to act collectively.

Beyond Europe, France will pursue balanced partnerships with established and emerging space powers (Objective 15). Cooperation with the United States, Japan, and India will continue, alongside new collaborations with the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and African nations developing space capacities. France also intends to use space diplomacy as a tool for development and influence, supporting technology transfers, education, and sustainable access to orbit.

This final pillar reinforces the idea that sovereignty in space can coexist with openness and solidarity. By promoting transparency, responsibility, and multilateral dialogue, France hopes to shape a future where Europe’s strength comes not from isolation, but from its ability to build trust and cooperation among nations — on Earth and beyond.

Franco-Irish Cooperation — From Shared Values to Shared Orbits

Europe invests five times less in space than the United States, yet faces the same strategic imperatives: access to orbit, industrial competitiveness, and technological sovereignty. France’s National Space Strategy 2025–2040 responds to this challenge by calling for a New European Space Deal — a more integrated framework designed to strengthen cooperation and foster a truly continental ecosystem of innovation. It sets out a vision of shared sovereignty, where national excellence contributes to a stronger, united European presence in orbit.

Within this renewed momentum, Ireland has emerged as one of Europe’s most dynamic and fast-growing space actors, embodying the kind of agile innovation the French strategy seeks to mobilise across the continent. Supported by Enterprise Ireland, Research Ireland, and the ESA Business Incubation Centre Ireland, the country has built a thriving ecosystem linking research, advanced manufacturing, and entrepreneurship. A new generation of Irish companies now contributes to ESA programmes and European missions while exporting cutting-edge technologies worldwide: Pilot Photonics leads in optical and photonic systems for high-speed satellite communications; O.C.E. Technology develops radiation-hardened embedded software for spacecraft; Plasma Bound pioneers nanocomposite surface treatments for reusable launcher structures; Realtra provides payload integration and testing for ESA and commercial missions; Enovus Labs applies artificial intelligence to Earth-observation data; and Celtonn in Galway advances micro-manufacturing for precision launcher components.

Together, these firms demonstrate how Ireland is shaping a distinctive, export-oriented role within the European space economy — one that complements and enriches the ambitions expressed in France’s National Space Strategy 2025–2040. Both countries, though different in scale and tradition, share a belief in Europe’s ability to build its own path in space — a path based not on rivalry, but on cooperation, responsibility, and shared technological excellence.

Conclusion — Building Europe’s Space Future Together

The presentation of France’s National Space Strategy 2025–2040 in Toulouse marks more than a national milestone; it signals the beginning of a new European cycle in space. For the first time in decades, the conversation on sovereignty, technology, and science has been reframed not as a competition between nations, but as a shared effort to secure Europe’s long-term independence in orbit.

The French strategy sets out a demanding agenda: to guarantee access to space, to build a dual civil-defence economy, to protect critical infrastructures, and to renew scientific exploration. Yet its real strength lies in the way it opens the door to others — recognising that no single European country, however advanced, can sustain a full spectrum of space capabilities alone. Sovereignty in the 21st century will be collective, or it will be fragile.

In that light, Ireland’s growing contribution to Europe’s space ecosystem takes on a broader meaning. The country’s combination of research excellence, entrepreneurial agility, and international openness embodies the cooperative model that Europe needs to thrive. From photonics and embedded systems to AI-driven Earth observation, Irish innovation is already helping to build the foundations of a more connected, resilient and sustainable European space sector.

Looking ahead to the ESA Ministerial in Bremen and the European Space Summit in 2026, the challenge will be to translate vision into coordination — aligning national ambitions, industrial policies and public investment under a coherent European framework. If this can be achieved, Europe will not only remain present in space, but relevant.

The Toulouse speech, then, was less a declaration of power than a call for partnership — a reminder that Europe’s strength lies in its diversity, its capacity to innovate, and its willingness to act together. From Toulouse to Dublin, from Paris to Bremen, the horizon is no longer national. It is shared.

📊 Key Figures

• €3 billion / year: French public space budget
• €47 per inhabitant — twice the EU average (€26)
• 50 % of Europe’s space revenue and ⅓ of jobs from France
• €13 billion vs $73 billion — Europe vs U.S. public investment
• < €3 billion military space vs $37 billion U.S. DoD
• $4.7 billion private investment in European New Space (2024), triple 2023

Source: Stratégie Nationale Spatiale 2025–2040 – Secrétariat général de la Défense et de la Sécurité nationale (SGDSN)