https://spacewatch.global/space-geopolitics/geopolitics-featuring-article/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Fri, 13 Nov 2026 09:34:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/space-geopolitics/geopolitics-featuring-article/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-gray-space-more-oversight-less-moon-nasas-new-congressional-reality/ Fri, 13 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=80163
Written by Christophe Bosquillon.
With Democrats taking control of Congress, NASA faces increased political scrutiny just as the race to return humans to the Moon intensifies. Christophe Bosquillon examines the growing dependence on SpaceX, shifting Artemis timelines, China's lunar ambitions and whether greater congressional oversight will help or hinder America's space ambitions.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-gray-space-democrats-sweep-both-u-s-congressional-chambers-space-and-defence-now-what/ Fri, 06 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79937
Written by Christophe Bosquillon
The Democrats have swept both chambers of the U.S. Congress. But what does that mean for American space and defence policy? Christophe Bosquillon examines the implications for NASA, the Space Force, Golden Dome and Pentagon spending, and considers what the political shift means for Europe.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-opinion-bailouts-billions-and-satellites-europes-space-defence-illusion/ Tue, 03 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79759
Written by K.-P. Ludwig.
Europe is spending billions on space security, yet national programmes, industrial interests and fragmented architectures continue to pull in different directions. K.-P. asks whether Europe is building genuine defence capability – or an increasingly expensive target catalogue.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/11/spacewatchgl-opinion-europes-window-on-the-world-is-wide-open-thats-the-problem/ Mon, 02 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79453
Written by Torsten Kriening .
At IABG’s 3rd Space Symposium in Ottobrunn, Nicolaus Hanowski, ESA’s incoming Director of Space Operations, nailed ten theses to the church door: ten on the strengths of Europe’s Earth observation, ten on its vulnerabilities. Torsten Kriening was in the room. The diagnosis is right; the cure is too gentle.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-gray-space-halloween-special-trick-or-trade-how-flipping-the-starshield-kill-switch-over-ukraine-eventually-backfired/ Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79601
Written by Christophe Bosquillon.
A sudden restriction on Ukraine’s Starshield access exposed an uncomfortable question about battlefield connectivity: who ultimately controls critical space infrastructure? Christophe Bosquillon examines the political fallout in Washington, Europe’s alternatives and the risks of relying on commercial systems in wartime.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-fifteen-minutes-from-orbit-and-the-bottleneck-is-us/ Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79495
Written by Torsten Kriening.
At the opening of the Defence Lab Erding, Germany’s space reconnaissance chain was on full display, from satellite to decision. The military’s benchmark is 15 minutes. The bottleneck, says Major General Dr. Volker Pötzsch of the Cyber and Information Domain Service, is not in orbit: “That’s us, as humans.”]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-germany-stops-whispering-about-space-defence/ Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:30:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79493
Written by Torsten Kriening.
At IABG’s 3rd Space Symposium in Ottobrunn, Germany stopped whispering about space defence. The Chief of the German Air and Space Force said Germany will strike back if attacked, announced a Luftwaffe space unit and admitted that the €35 billion, earmarked for military space, is already largely spoken for. Torsten Kriening was in the room: the doctrine is public, the red lines are not.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-gray-space-cosmos-2612-vs-iceye-x36-washington-spoke-where-was-nato/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79393
Written by Christophe Bosquillon.
A Russian satellite manoeuvred into extreme proximity with ICEYE-X36, prompting warnings from commercial space trackers and, eventually, Washington. Christophe Bosquillon asks why the encounter has yet to produce a comparable collective response from NATO.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-gray-space-there-is-something-not-rotten-in-the-state-of-denmark-its-views-on-how-european-governments-could-turn-space-ambitions-into-capabilities/ Fri, 23 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79331
Written by Christophe Bosquillon.
What turns an ambitious space strategy into actual capability? Looking at a new Danish study of six European countries, Christophe Bosquillon explores why budgets, procurement and institutional authority may matter more than whether a country has a space agency.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-espi-at-20-europes-aspirations-are-big-now-it-needs-the-nerve/ Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79264
Written by Judith Delany and Torsten Kriening
At ESPI’s 20th Annual Conference in Vienna, Europe’s aspirations met the realities of a fragmenting world. The capabilities, partners and public support are there. What Europe still needs is the confidence to set its own agenda and act before the next crisis forces it to.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-opinion-quo-vadis-europa-a-critique-of-the-moment-in-an-age-of-missing-orders/ Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79177
Written by K.-P. Ludwig.
Europe speaks increasingly of sovereignty in space, yet its launch capacity, secure communications and defence architecture remain fragmented. Ludwig asks whether Europe can turn strategic autonomy from a political slogan into the capacity to act.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-day-one-what-europe-can-learn-from-riyadh/ Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78914 Europe was not on the agenda in Riyadh, yet day one of the Global Space Connectivity & Sustainability Events delivered five lessons for Brussels. They cover the D2D kill switch and IRIS², unlicensed satellite service in French overseas territories, Ookla’s D2D measurement data, the GSO/NGSO spectrum fight ahead of WRC-27, and Ambassador Foradori’s warning that sustainability and security are one problem.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-gray-space-the-nightingale-song-the-uk-echoes-the-u-s-space-power-narrative-but-europe-is-not-quite-there-yet/ Mon, 12 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78730
Written by Christophe Bosquillon
The UK is adopting the language of space power just as the United States openly acknowledges on-orbit space control weapons. Christophe Bosquillon asks whether Britain can turn rhetoric into capability, and whether Europe is ready to follow.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-iac-2026-day-four-space-commands-nuclear-power-and-the-rules-of-the-moon/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78825 On Day Four of IAC 2026’s Global Networking Forum, Türkiye’s new space commander made a rare public appearance and NASA laid out its nuclear plans, from SR-1 Freedom to a commercial radioisotope heater on the Moon. Artemis II’s “avatar” organ chips gave their first result. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-space-on-the-masthead-germanys-intelligence-community-looks-up/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78740 Germany's intelligence community put space on its masthead for the first time. Day one of the ND-Konferenz in Berlin delivered a blunt message: orbit is already a battlefield, Leipzig was a wake-up call, and Germany has the strategy and the money for space security, but not yet anyone clearly in charge.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-opinion-europes-space-shield-has-lost-its-name-it-must-not-lose-its-purpose/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78662 Seven EU capitals, led by Paris and Berlin, have told Brussels what the European Space Shield cannot be. They are right on competence and right on the name. But a Europe that only knows what it doesn't want in space is still a Europe without a shield.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-iac-2026-day-two-sovereignty-is-the-new-sales-pitch/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78686 At IAC 2026's industry plenary, Planet, Roketsan, Pixxel, The Exploration Company, Redwire and SANSA debated sovereignty versus collaboration. The verdict: it's a false dichotomy, and sovereignty is now a product. Torsten Kriening on who's selling it, and why Africa wants to build it instead.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-iac-2026-day-two-turkiye-shows-its-sovereign-space-stack/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78600 On day two of IAC 2026, Türkiye named the companies behind its space ambitions. Aselsan is building a 198-satellite military LEO constellation, Baykar's Fergani a navigation network at 1,200 km, a Somalia spaceport will open to foreign users, and TÜBİTAK UZAY is heading to the Moon. Torsten Kriening on Ankara's sovereign space stack.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-iac-2026-day-one-on-the-side-stage-beijing-made-the-news/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 07:30:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78551
Written by Torsten Kriening
Away from the IAC 2026 main stage, the Global Networking Forum revealed another side of international space cooperation. From China's opening of Tiangong and expanding lunar partnerships to Russia's return to the international stage and the UK's sovereignty-through-partnership approach, Torsten Kriening reports from the side rooms where cooperation becomes concrete.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-iac-2026-day-one-antalya-talks-cooperation-builds-sovereignty/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78549
Written by Torsten Kriening
IAC 2026 opened with a promise of international cooperation, but the message underneath was sovereignty. From Türkiye's lunar ambitions and Europe's crewed autonomy debate to NASA's reshaped Artemis plans and China's planetary defence push, Torsten Kriening reflects on the signals from day one in Antalya.]]>