The European Space Forum 2022 examined the innovative programmes, initiatives and policies being put forward. Across two days, 60 speakers, 280 in-person delegates and over 400 speakers gathered to discuss the most pertinent topics across the EU space landscape.
The main topics of the event included:
The inaugural edition of the European Space Forum in 2021 was held virtually, and brought together more than 700 key stakeholders and thought leaders from across the space and satellite sectors. Across 2 full days of interactive discussion and debate, the following main topics were discussed:
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Note: All timings are in Central European Time (CET).
Proposed by the European Commission in June 2025, the EU Space Act represents an important step towards a more coherent and robust European framework for space governance. Built around the core principles of safety, sustainability, and resilience, the proposal aims to address fragmentation across Europe’s regulatory landscape and establish a more harmonised approach to space activities.
As negotiations progress, this session will examine the current state of play of the EU Space Act and its place within the EU’s wider regulatory agenda. Panellists will explore how the proposal aligns with Europe’s strategic objectives on competitiveness, autonomy, and leadership in space, while also considering the political dynamics and operational challenges shaping its development. The discussion will also assess the implications of the Act for Europe’s role in international space governance at a time of accelerating global competition.
Recent financial developments in Europe’s space sector signal a clear renewal of ambition. Significant increases to the ESA budget, notable funding increases across many Member States, and substantial proposed allocations within the EU’s 2028–2034 European Competitiveness Fund and Horizon Europe instruments, together demonstrate the region’s intent to strengthen its space capabilities and ensure its autonomy accordingly.
With panellists reflecting on Europe’s ability to ensure its financial ecosystem effectively supports its long-term aspirations in space, this session will build on this momentum and assess the consequence of these funding commitments. Discussion will focus on the above developments before reflecting on the alignment of public and private capital, where targeted investment can deliver the greatest impact, and how innovative financing tools can unlock growth and opportunity across the space value chain.
The global space landscape is undergoing rapid transformation, reshaping the roles and responsibilities of spacefaring nations. As new actors emerge and commercial activity accelerates, the need for responsible governance and effective multilateral cooperation has never been greater. For Europe, this evolving context presents both significant challenges and important opportunities.
This session will examine how space diplomacy is evolving, and the new partnerships and alliances shaping the future of space activities. Panellists will focus on international collaboration and Europe’s pursuit of new, strategic partnerships to strengthen its position in an increasingly competitive environment. The discussion will also assess the state of intra-European coordination, exploring how greater coherence, and progress towards a genuine single market for space, can enhance Europe’s credibility and influence on the global stage.
Satellites are emerging as a central pillar of Europe’s future connectivity ecosystem, complementing terrestrial networks to deliver resilient, high-capacity and ubiquitous connectivity. Advances in areas such as direct-to-device (D2D), the rapid deployment of low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, and hybrid terrestrial and non-terrestrial network architectures are reshaping how connectivity is delivered and extending coverage to underserved areas.
As lawmakers seek to keep pace with rapid technological development, this session will explore the regulatory challenges and emerging policy trends that are being seen, and the work that is bring done to deliver a regulatory framework that drives forward innovation across the SatComs sector. At a European level, the discussion will examine how the Digital Networks Act can complement the existing regulatory framework by streamlining authorisation and spectrum licensing for satellite services; whilst at a global level, it will assess how decisions at WRC-27 are set to shape access to key spectrum bands. Bringing these strands together, it will consider how policy, technical and investment frameworks can support the integration of satellite networks into 6G and future connectivity ecosystems, and the role that satellite is set to play as part of Europe’s digital and connected future.
Europe’s space industry is operating in an increasingly competitive global environment, shaped by rapid technological change, rising geopolitical tensions, and the growing scale of investment and industrial consolidation elsewhere. Maintaining Europe’s position as a leading space power will depend on its ability to translate innovation into industrial scale, attract sustained investment, and strengthen the competitiveness of its space value chain.
This session will therefore take stock of the European space industry and the efforts underway to secure its long-term competitiveness. Discussion will focus on the role of smart regulation, industrial policy, and procurement strategies in supporting scale-up, resilience, and market access. As key policy initiatives continue to shape the debate, the session will address a central question: what does Europe’s space industry need to thrive, and how can policymakers and industry best work together to deliver it?
Autonomous access to space remains the fundamental enabler of European ambition in the sector, and there can be no credible European space policy without it. Accordingly, while the continent has made significant progress in recent years, there remains a continued focus on ensuring reliable, autonomous, and sustained access in an increasingly competitive global environment.
In this context, this session will explore how Europe can strengthen and secure its access to space over the long term. Focussing on the evolution of Europe’s launcher capabilities and broader launch services ecosystem, panellists will assess the future of the European launcher landscape and the role of emerging policy initiatives in reinforcing Europe’s resilience, efficiency, and competitiveness.
As orbital activity continues to grow, the long-term safety and sustainability of the space environment remains a pressing and unresolved challenge. In the absence of globally binding regulatory frameworks, the risks posed by collisions, cascading debris events, and disruption to critical space services will continue to increase, making effective debris mitigation and space traffic management ever more critical, and the need for robust action increasingly universal.
This session will examine how Europe can strengthen its approach to debris mitigation and space traffic management, asking how we can balance regulatory oversight with innovation and commercial growth while doing so. Panellists will explore the role of emerging policy frameworks, international coordination, and technological solutions in ensuring responsible behaviour in orbit. Commentary will also reflect on Europe’s ability to shape global norms, and the role of the EU Space Act in this aim.
Secure satellite communications are now a core strategic requirement for Europe, underpinning crisis response, civil protection, defence and diplomacy, and the resilience of critical infrastructure. GOVSATCOM is the EU’s framework for ensuring trusted, secure governmental satcom capabilities, while IRIS² is the next-generation multi-orbit programme intended to deliver the sovereign capacity and industrial scale needed to meet Europe’s long-term ambitions.
With IRIS² entering its procurement phase and key ‘rendezvous’ discussions underway, and GOVSATCOM services now online, this session will assess the significance of Europe’s secure satcom agenda and the path ahead. Panellists will examine the decisions shaping system design and governance, the challenges associated with delivery and operationalisation, and the consequences if Europe fails to meet its objectives in an increasingly contested space domain. The discussion will also explore how GOVSATCOM and IRIS² will work together in practice, including their role in strengthening European autonomy, competitiveness, and resilience against cyber and geopolitical threats.
Driven by rapid technological progress, growing commercial involvement, an evolving geopolitical climate, and rising demand from policymakers, industry, and public authorities alike, Earth Observation (EO) is entering a new phase of complexity and importance. Alongside flagship programmes such as Copernicus, a growing number of national sovereign constellations and commercial capabilities are now emerging across the continent. Initiatives such as European Resilience from Space (ERS) and the proposed Earth Observation Governmental Service (EOGS) reflect a broader effort to bring these assets together into a more coordinated European capability — one capable of serving both civil and governmental users while strengthening Europe’s autonomy in the process.
Accordingly, this final session will examine the next phase of the European EO ecosystem and the growing effort to build a federated architecture linking institutional programmes, national assets, and commercial services. The discussion will explore how public programmes and private capabilities can be integrated to deliver operational value in the near term, while also addressing the growing importance of EO in security, crisis response, and strategic decision-making. Particular attention will be given to the evolving role of Copernicus, the development of EOGS, and the wider policy framework shaping Europe’s ambitions in Earth Observation and space data.
Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services are key to Europe’s critical infrastructure, defence capabilities, and digital economy. Together, Galileo, EGNOS, and Europe’s wider PNT services form a critical ecosystem underpinning aviation, transport, energy, financial systems, emergency response, and defence. As Europe’s global navigation satellite system, Galileo sits at the core of this architecture, playing a central role in ensuring autonomy and resilience in an increasingly contested and complex space security environment.
This session will explore the future of Europe’s PNT ecosystem, examining how Galileo and complementary services such as EGNOS, terrestrial backup solutions, and allied capabilities are evolving to meet rising operational and security demands. Panellists will assess how Europe can safeguard trusted, high-accuracy and safety-critical PNT services in the face of growing threats, and what policy, governance, and investment choices are required to strengthen long-term resilience.
