Nations must prioritise sovereignty and private-sector integration as they invest in space infrastructure, the UAE Space Agency chairman has said.
Dr Ahmad Al Falasi, Minister of Sports, who also heads the space agency, was speaking at an international space summit in Paris, in which leaders integrated geopolitics into their assessment of the industry's future.
“We're all busy delivering space missions and projects [but] it takes one summit to take us back and start thinking: how does geopolitics affect our projects?” Dr Al Falasi said.
“Space in itself is very uncertain but when you add to that a layer of geopolitics and different locally driven decisions, it also affects how we all deal with this.”
The UAE developed its space infrastructure in recent decades by balancing sovereignty and autonomy. Dr Al Falasi said it had fast-tracked that development alongside several international partners such as Europe, China, the US and Israel.
Vast investments
At the summit, UAE-based investor company Marlan Space announced a $1 billion investment in developing artificial intelligence-powered satellites with Loft Orbital, which is based in the US. It described the project as the “world's largest artificial intelligence satellite infrastructure”.
The UAE's strategy, Dr Al Falasi said, is not only to develop its sovereign space sector but to triple the revenue of the commercial space industry over the next five years and “hopefully deploy agile and interoperable infrastructure”.
Speaking alongside Dr Al Falasi were a number of world leaders who said space now played a central role in global security.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he was of the generation inspired by exploration and US astronaut Neil Armstrong but the landscape had dramatically changed with the exponential growth of satellites. “There is obviously a race to space,” Mr Stubb said. “The key here is how do we contain this competition and make sure it becomes co-operation.”
Plea for Starlink
For many Europeans, the realisation that space has become a geopolitical concern came after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the ensuing war between the two countries.
In his speech, Mr Stubb made a direct appeal to US tech mogul Elon Musk to allow Ukraine to use Starlink to target the launch pads of Russian ballistic missiles. “Please Elon, allow the Ukrainians to do that,” he said.
As Europe tries to reduce its reliance on US space technology, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said her institution has proposed €131 billion for defence, security and space, five times the funding of today. “The technology we finance today will determine our competitiveness tomorrow,” she said.
French President Emmanuel Macron described Europe's space sector as “fragile” but insisted it could become a major player. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Paris and Berlin were working together to boost the European Union's secure internet constellation.
“Space has become a central part of international and global security,” Mr Pistorius said. “The Russian war against Ukraine is a painful example of how space and cyberspace can add a new, dramatic and sizeable dimension with international military operations.”
Mr Pistorius was representing Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the summit. Germany co-hosted the event with France, but Mr Merz cancelled his attendance, citing domestic commitments.
Leaders were keen to stress that a heightened awareness of risk must not translate into protectionism. Speaking to The National, Italy's Minister for Enterprises Adolfo Urso said his country was keen to co-operate with the likes of Japan, the UAE and Canada. “They are fundamental partners we cannot afford to overlook,” he said.
Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden said that while he supported European strategic autonomy championed by Mr Macron, he also believed in building bridges with the US, an apparent reference to American tech giants Space X and Blue Origin pulling out of the event under White House pressure.
“A strong Europe needs like-minded partners around the world,” Mr Frieden said. “It is in that spirit of partnership with the US and others that we want to build the future of space industry and space in the future.”
