Europe faces a shortage of homegrown rocket launchers by the end of the decade, the head of the European Space Agency has warned. Josef Aschbacher, director-general, said the agency expects a shortage around 2030, as growing demand to launch satellites outpaces Europe's capabilities. "If we add up all the satellites that need to be launched from current and planned constellations and missions . . . we see that there's a peak of launch requirements around 2029, 2030, 2031," he said.

The US and China have launched hundreds of satellites in the past five years and invested billions. Space X launched 170 rockets last year, while Europe launched just eight. Europe plans to launch satellites for Iris², Galileo, and Copernicus, as well as defence missions for Greece, Spain, and Poland.

But its flagship rocket Ariane 6 faced delays, causing a year-long gap when Europe relied on Space X. Europe regained sovereign access in July 2024 with Ariane 6 and the return of Vega-C.

Aschbacher said he strongly believed Europe could bridge the shortages. ESA has asked launchers to estimate costs to expand Ariane 6 production from 9-10 to about 15 per year, and similar for Vega-C. "The time horizon is 2035," he said.