Four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe is still watching its own security through someone else's eyes. The brief interruption of intelligence flows from Washington to Kyiv in 2025 was a reminder that even the closest alliances operate within political cycles. Europe has world-class space companies and expertise. What it lacks is speed. ICEYE recently delivered a sovereign space intelligence system to Poland in under 12 months. It proves what is already possible in Europe, at scale. Constellation Europe, a concept for a federated network of 1,000+ European-owned satellites, is achievable this decade. My argument in Politico: https://lnkd.in/dhuzA8JH
Peter P.
5d
Security is always open to debate, and perspectives on Russia’s role in Europe vary significantly outside of US-led echo chambers. Some argue that the perception of Russia as some major threat (not backed by data) has reinforced Europe’s reliance on NATO, deepening dependence on the US not only in defense, but also across economic and political spheres. ICEYE represents an impressive step forward for European sovereignty and technological capability. Yet it also highlights the broader challenge ahead: Europe still trails the US and China in key strategic sectors such as semiconductors, big tech platforms, and critical technologies. These dependencies create vulnerabilities that others may eventually seek to exploit. Europe has made progress, but achieving greater strategic autonomy remains a long-term project.
Rafal Modrzewski I would add that as well as lack of speed, some governments in Europe lack agility and a sensible risk appetite when wanting to bring a proven capability online to speed up the 'sense-decide-effect' cycle. Those with the hot breath of the enemy on their neck understand the relevance of speed, agility, and risk management - because they have to.
Simon Proud
6d
Whilst I fully agree with what you write, this misses another elephant in the room: Launch. Unless I'm mistaken, MikroSAR was launched on a Falcon. So are many other national missions...we need to open that pinch point too, launch those thousand satellites on European vehicles!
Well said. Today, Europe should accelerate integration and ensure the security of its citizens in EU countries. Capricious leaders from outside the EU and their divergent interests pose a real threat. Our umbrella is leaking. Congratulation to #iceye team for delivering solutions.
Usman Akram
1w
Europe’s challenge is no longer capability, but execution speed in critical domains like space intelligence. ICEYE shows that sovereign systems can be delivered fast when ownership and urgency are aligned.
Spot on, Rafał. The idea of a federated network of 1,000+ satellites is fascinating. Given the scale of EU regulatory and procurement frameworks, what do you think is a realistic time horizon for getting an architecture like this fully deployed? Great share!
Karina Maria
6d
We cannot stress enough how strategic this topic is.
Paweł Paśko
1w
Can those eyes be blinded by hostile satellites in close proximity?
An important and overdue intervention, Rafal. The Polish 12-month delivery is the proof point the European space debate has been waiting for. it disproves the "Europe cannot execute" claim with operational evidence, not slideware. The argument that Europe is still watching its own security through someone else's eyes lands harder coming from someone who has just delivered the alternative. The most challenging of your three demands is the third. Acquisition reform within 10 months is the part the Commission process has historically been least capable of delivering, and it is the gating constraint on the rest. Incentives and multiannual funding are politically difficult but procedurally familiar; collapsing a decade of fragmented procurement into a unified architecture inside a year is the structural test. Constellation Europe stands or falls on that timeline. A piece worth circulating widely, we will be carrying the argument on SpaceWatch.Global.