EU Plans Sharp Increase in Satellite Launches, Seeks Non-European Sites

The EU's willingness to look beyond its own territory for launch capacity signals that Europe's orbital ambitions are outpacing its domestic infrastructure, particularly for heavy-payload missions. This matters for allied space and defence ecosystems, since reliance on non-EU sites introduces political and logistical dependencies even as it accelerates access. The open question is whether these partnerships remain launch-only arrangements or evolve into deeper industrial and security ties.