European countries are losing ground in space exploration due to a shortage of heavy launch vehicles, limited funding, and the lack of a unified strategy for developing the industry. Bloomberg reports.

According to the agency’s assessment, Europe significantly lags behind the global leaders in the space sector because it lacks sufficient technical capabilities for regular launches into low Earth orbit.

“Europe is absent from this intensifying race, stumbling over conflicting interests, limited national budgets, and the lack of a necessary component of space technology — a sufficient number of heavy launch vehicles to carry out multiple orbital flights each year,” Bloomberg notes.

According to the agency, over the past five years Russia, the United States, and China have invested more than $200 billion in the development of the space industry, while European startups have carried out only a few launches, focusing mainly on creating reusable rockets.

At the same time, the low payload capacity of such launch vehicles limits their possible applications, including in the military sphere.

Against this backdrop, Germany’s Defense Ministry plans to put four experimental satellites into orbit in 2027, intended for reconnaissance and electronic warfare.

As Bloomberg notes, the development of space programs is becoming increasingly important not only for civilian projects but also for ensuring national security.

Earlier, European Space Agency chief Josef Aschbacher called for speeding up the development of Europe’s own reusable launch vehicle, which would allow the continent to increase its independence in space launches. In addition, the German defense contractor Rheinmetall, together with OHB, is holding talks on creating a military satellite constellation, while the Bundeswehr is considering the possibility of deploying up to 1,200 communications and reconnaissance satellites in orbit.