EU may create 'European space shield': What is its purpose?
Photo: European Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius (GettyImagеs)
European Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has called for the creation of a "European Space Shield" to help unite defense efforts in space, Politico reports.
"I want to set up a dialogue with member states and space commands to look at options towards a European space domain awareness to monitor threats, including military threats," Kubilius said during his speech at the 17th European Space Conference.
The European Commissioner believes these steps will serve as "building blocks towards a European Space Shield to unite our defense efforts in space."
Kubilius pointed out that countries are increasingly competing for dominance in space. In particular, Russia, at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, joined forces with China to implement projects such as a joint lunar nuclear power station. This is why the European Commissioner believes "we cannot leave space to the axis of aggressive authoritarians."
"Europe must maintain leadership in space," Kubilius said.
As previously reported, SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded during flight tests. As a result, the airlines had to change the course of flights over the falling debris.
Last year, Elon Musk's SpaceX also launched the Starship spacecraft and successfully landed the massive first stage of the rocket booster for the first time.
