The European Union's Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, has called for the creation of a "European Space Shield" to strengthen joint defence efforts in the space sphere, News.bg reports.
During the 17th European Space Conference, he expressed his intention to start a dialogue with member states and space commands to explore opportunities for increasing awareness of the state of outer space and monitoring threats, including military ones.
“We need to start a dialogue with member states and space commands to analyze opportunities for better awareness of the European space sphere and effective monitoring of threats, including military ones“, said Kubilius.
According to him, in recent years the space race has taken on a new dimension, with countries, including Russia, actively competing for influence in space. In the context of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia is cooperating with China on ambitious projects, such as the joint construction of a lunar nuclear power plant.
“We cannot leave space under the control of authoritarian states with aggressive intentions. Europe must maintain its leadership in space“, stressed Kubilius.
The BBC's Pavel Aksenov notes that in recent years Russia has been unable to catch up with leaders in the space industry, such as the United States and China. Its most ambitious projects, including the construction of a lunar base, have been suspended due to a lack of resources and strategic suppression.