Franco-German NewSpace urges EU to buy
German and French NewSpace groups call on the European Commission to act as a reliable customer for launch services ahead of the International Space
Days before the International Space Summit in Paris, German and French NewSpace industries issued a joint declaration urging the European Commission to prioritize demand over regulation in space transportation.
The BDI NewSpace Initiative and Alliance NewSpace France published the position paper on 31 August 2026, addressed to European Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, calling for the EU to act as a predictable institutional customer and publish a long-term demand outlook for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework.
The declaration argues that competitiveness in European space launch should be strengthened through market demand rather than additional regulatory measures, with ESA remaining responsible for technical oversight and the EU serving as an anchor customer via public-private partnerships.
Matthias Wachter, managing director of the BDI’s NewSpace Initiative, stated that successful Franco-German industrial cooperation is underway and that companies need a market enabling competition and growth.
Three key instruments are proposed: support for the European Launch Services Marketplace (ELSA), a multi-year EU Launch Procurement Plan for 2028-2034, and a Responsive EU Launch framework capable of delivering launch services from under a week to six months for defence and dual-use needs, with small launch vehicles identified as a key enabler.
The paper warns of a looming shortage in access to space for small satellites due to the cancellation of SpaceX’s rideshare programme, which the authors attribute to the company’s shift toward heavy launchers.
It notes that in 2025, SpaceX rideshare missions deployed 396 satellites, 134 of which were European, and proposes a European Rideshare Initiative to guarantee predictable access while European commercial capability scales up.
The declaration observes that Transporter-17 launched on 7 July 2026 and Transporter-18 is expected later in the year, but operators report that SpaceX has stopped taking new commercial bookings on Transporter and Bandwagon services beyond late 2028, with capacity increasingly used for Starlink and orbital data-centre payloads.
On financing, the paper calls for a dedicated MFF envelope focused on demand-side support, complementary to ESA and national programmes, and extends this to include funding for a reusable heavy-lift launcher from both established and new companies.
Funding for disruptive technologies-such as reusability, green propellants, game-changing propulsion, and large-part manufacturing-should span from research and development through to commercialisation.
Infrastructure recommendations include opening Kourou’s launch pads to new entrants under equal terms with multi-launcher operations, accelerating development of continental spaceports at Andøya, SaxaVord, Esrange, the Azores, and mobile platforms, and supporting multi-user test facilities alongside sites like DLR Lampoldshausen.
Member States would retain the right to maintain or assume national control, especially for defence applications.
Alliance NewSpace France represents over 60 startups, scale-ups, and SMEs, accounting for 3,100 jobs and 15 percent of the French space workforce.
The BDI’s NewSpace Initiative, founded in 2021, includes more than 120 companies and organisations.
The timing of the declaration follows ESA’s signing of the first European Launcher Challenge contracts four days prior, on 27 August 2026, awarding €197.8 million to Isar Aerospace for Spectrum, €186.9 million to Rocket Factory Augsburg for RFA One, and €158.9 million to PLD Space for Miura 5.
MaiaSpace and Orbex were also shortlisted in July 2025, with ESA noting the MaiaSpace award is nearing completion.
Industry is now urging the European Commission to transform this competition into a sustained customer relationship.
Source: “Consolidating a Long-Term Vision for Space Transportation”, Industry Position Paper, BDI NewSpace Initiative / Alliance NewSpace France, 31 August 2026. Wachter comments translated from German.
