Space power and its implications—The case of Europe

Abstract Having passed its 50th anniversary, the Space Age has attained some degree of maturity. In parallel, space activities have, over the years been for major world powers increasingly tied to national power. Space power has thus become an indispensable element for a country with regional and global ambitions. However, while Europe possesses the fundamental elements of space power it has been absent from the on-going debate and process leading to the development of space power theory. This needs to change as Europe should be able to influence the development of a cogent and comprehensive space power theory and maintain its position in the global “space hierarchy”. This paper aims thus to present an overview of the concept of space power and its implications with a particular attention devoted to Europe.