In Europe, the need to focus on space defense and create a European Space Shield has begun to gain attention. This program is conceptually similar to the European Air Shield initiative, which focuses on joint procurement and strengthening air defense systems.
This proposal, made by European Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, aligns with the creation of the American Iron Dome program, which, like Reagan’s Star Wars initiative, is now supported by Elon Musk’s technology.
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Although the European Sky Shield Initiative is already active and yielding results, its space counterpart is much more complicated. Objectively, Europe is lagging behind in space exploration. Looking at the number of rocket launches in 2024, the undisputed leader will be the USA with 156 launches. China ranks second with 68 launches, followed by russia with 17.

The EU, however, conducted only 3 launches, placing it near the bottom of the list, behind India with 5 launches and Japan with 7. Moreover, the EU launched fewer rockets than Iran, which has 4 launches in 2024. The only country the EU outperformed is North Korea, which had a failed space launch in 2024.
In general, Europe's only significant space launch capability is the latest version of the Ariane 6 rocket family, which had one launch in 2024, ending in partial success.

Also, the light Vega-C (two launches in 2024, with Ukraine being one of the subcontractors in the production of the upper stage). Additionally, the only spaceport is Kourou in French Guiana.

Thus, while the United States relies on its production, technological, and scientific base, as well as ready-made solutions when discussing its new space Iron Dome, the EU is truly behind in terms of space scale. However, space is now on the brink of militarization, and everything indicates that the competition for space will have enormous significance.
After all, the 20th century proved that those who control the sky win the battle on the ground, and the 21st century will undoubtedly demonstrate that those who dominate space will win battles in the sky and on the ground. Therefore, the EU will be compelled to look for opportunities for expansion in space. And Ukraine, with a strategic approach, must offer solutions that are cost-effective and scalable.
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