World gathers in Paris for space summit as US dominance widens the gap

Paris hosted the opening of a two-day International Space Summit at the Grand Palais, bringing together delegates from nearly 120 countries to discuss how the world should govern activity in space. French President Emmanuel Macron, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were among those who met with astronauts and members of the Vast space programme during the event.

The summit takes place against a backdrop of growing US dominance in the space race. President Donald Trump has set a goal of a thousand rocket launches a year, and with SpaceX's reusable rocket modules, the United States has pulled well ahead of other nations. By contrast, Europe's Ariane rocket programme is only planning between nine and eleven launches next year, underscoring the scale of the gap.

That dominance has practical consequences: Ukraine's president has had to appeal directly to Elon Musk to gain access to the Starlink low-orbit satellite network in order to strike Russian cruise missile launch sites. Meanwhile, Norway carried out its first privately launched satellite mission over the past weekend, sending a German satellite into orbit — a step reflecting Europe's push to reduce reliance on American space infrastructure.

Prospects for genuine international cooperation on space governance appear uncertain. Germany withdrew from co-hosting the Paris summit, and reports indicate the White House pressured US aerospace industry leaders to stay away from the event. These developments raise questions about whether a unified global approach is achievable at a time when orbit is increasingly crowded with satellites and debris. Central to the summit's discussions is whether space activity needs stronger regulation, and if so, how urgently it should be introduced.