The fight to conquer space is more alive than ever. Satellites promise to become a key infrastructure for large-scale internet connection, in addition to being a first-rate geolocation tool for governments and companies.
According to data from the consulting firm McKinsey, the industry expects to exceed one trillion dollars in 2030, more than double the current 447 billion dollars and far from the 280 billion dollars in 2010. With these data, it is clear that the interest in conquering space It is more alive than ever. The background scenario, however, has changed compared to the years of the Cold War and the conquest of the Moon.
In recent decades, the industry has been liberalized and the private sector has taken a strong role to the point that today it is the company SpaceX, founded by magnate Elon Musk, that controls 50% of all satellites in orbit. Due to the emergence of this company – which would not have gotten where it is without the projects commissioned by NASA – the United States is the country that emerges as the clear winner in the battle. According to data from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the US has a share of 65%, followed far behind by China (8%), Russia (2.6%) and the United Kingdom. The European Union has an irrelevant role due to the departure of its British partner.
“On the continent, we have been more conservative and cautious with respect to the United States, which has not hesitated to risk its resources on the potential of this technology,” comments Rafel Jordà, founder of the startup Open Cosmos, which develops satellites and nanosatellites.
The US leadership is due to strong public investment, of $62 billion in 2022, as well as the powerful commitment of private companies. And not only from SpaceX, which operates its satellite constellation called Starlink. Also notable is the ambitious project of Jeff Bezos, who through Amazon has created the Kuiper company to launch 3,230 satellites (Space X has 3,400) in 2029.
As for the rest of the powers, Russia has been relegated to the background, far from the years of prominence of the last century, while China has stepped up. In the last 20 years, her Government has approved a plan – of nearly 12,000 million in investment in 2022 – that has led it to be the country with the largest number of public satellites.
With these data on the table, it is clear that the European Union is out of orbit. In fact, this week it emerged that the European Space Agency has reached an agreement with magnate Elon Musk (also owner of Tesla and X) to launch Space X satellites. The operation, which must receive the approval of the European Commission , demonstrates the lack of potential of European infrastructure.
Aware of the situation, a group of European companies – including the Spanish Hispasat as well as Airbus, Eutelsat and Deutsche Telekom – have designed the IRIS project to compete against SpaceX. This initiative, which will be launched in 2024, is expected to raise 2,400 million euros in public aid and mobilize up to 6,000 million. “In the EU, companies are well regarded despite not having a consolidated presence in the industry. Furthermore, the territory is a pioneer in terms of regulation,” says Jordà. In fact, there are multiple national initiatives underway, such as the Miura satellites, throughout Spain, and the Enxaneta and Menut nanosatellites, in Catalonia.
