The race to lower launch costs and raise cadence, led by SpaceX and China, determines who can operate at scale in space and who gets left behind.
Europe's sovereign-launch capability, built around ESA, ArianeGroup, and Arianespace, centers on Ariane 6, the continent's sole operational heavy-lift rocket, flying from Kourou, French Guiana.
full dossier ›Upgraded P160C boosters and an Amazon contract give Europe a working, if thin, sovereign launch base
Third-largest constellation, beta in five countries late 2026, but spectral priority demoted for slow build
€960M equity raise, €2.3B for 440 OneWeb follow-ons, €10.6B IRIS² concession, but services slip to 2030