The 18th European Space Conference,held on 27 and 28 January 2026 at the Square Brussels Convention Centre, confirmed that Europe is at a turning point in securing its strategic autonomy in the space sector. Under the theme “Delivering on Europe’s Space Ambition: Sovereignty, Security and Industrial Transformation”, the event brought together European institutions, Member States, national agencies, industry, research centres and investors to discuss the priorities that will shape the coming decade.
The political and policy context placed the conference at a particularly significant juncture: the decisions of the ESA Ministerial Council, the negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, and the design of the future EU Space Programme will be crucial to consolidating a competitive and technologically sovereign Space ecosystem.
Added to this is the increase in the ESA’s budget, which, with €22.3 billion approved for 2025, strengthens both scientific missions and security capabilities, as well as Europe’s ambition to increase its launch frequency in 2026.
One of the most significant messages came from the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, who called for the creation of a European Virtual Space Command designed to coordinate and mobilise space assets in crisis situations. This initiative is directly linked to the drive for sovereign and secure communication architectures, such as the capabilities launched with GOVSATCOM and the future deployment of IRIS², aimed at promoting greater autonomy and strengthening the continent’s resilience in the face of a constantly evolving geopolitical environment.
In line with this vision, the conference focused on advancing European capabilities that are essential for security and technological autonomy. It highlighted the development of the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI), designed to protect institutional information and critical infrastructure through advanced cryptography and quantum key distribution (QKD). Progress was also reported on initiatives such as SAGA and the Eagle-1 satellite, which will validate quantum technologies from Space and strengthen the security of European government communications.
Space security was also a central focus of the debate. The proliferation of constellations, the growing complexity of orbital traffic and the development of anti-satellite capabilities were identified as key challenges requiring European frameworks for monitoring, coordination and protection. Alongside this, the importance of maintaining scientific and technological leadership through flagship missions was emphasised, as these are key to Europe’s standing in planetary exploration and science.
The conference concluded with a clear message: Europe must accelerate its industrial transformation, strengthen its critical infrastructure and build up its own capabilities if it is to maintain its role on the global Space stage. The convergence between institutions, ESA and the innovation sector demonstrated an ecosystem fully mobilised to move forward, with the aim of translating this consensus into a resilient, secure and fully autonomous space architecture, capable of sustaining European ambitions in an increasingly competitive international context.
