Space has become a crucial theme in the main international think tanks’ research activities as it entails important strategic, economic, and technological issues.
Since 2001, Ifri has integrated space in its research, notably by ensuring that the political dimension of scientific and human exploration programs is emphasized, and by supporting reflections on the Code of Conduct for Outter Space Activities.
Today, as part of its research agenda, Ifri mobilizes several of its centers and programs to transversally tackle the theme of space, through three main inputs:
Since the Summer 2020, Ifri has been coordinating a tripartite European Space Governance Initiative, together with two other renowned European think tanks: the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik (DGAP) in Germany and the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) in Italy.
Research Fellow, Space
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Special Advisor to the President for European Affairs
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A new Cold War-style race to the moon seems to be in the making. The People’s Republic of China and the United States are both investing in moon exploration with manned lunar scientific stations as the ultimate goal.
International agreements constitute an integral part of the normative framework crafted to ensure the effective governance of space-based operations. These agreements serve as foundational elements of "hard law," constituting binding legal norms that govern space activities. In conjunction...
Europe's space sector is currently faced with great difficulties, marked by the temporary loss of autonomous access to space, strong competition from the USA, and the transformation of the satellite market.
In April 2021, the Chinese government officially, but rather quietly, established a new state-owned enterprise (SOE) named China SatNet. Its mission: build out China’s “mega-constellation” program for low Earth orbiting internet satellites, known as Guowang (“national network”).
China-Russia cooperation in space has been increasing for the past two decades. This cooperation accelerated after the Crimea crisis in 2014 and culminated with the announcement in 2021 of the joint construction of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).<...>
As the commercial anchor of the space sector, the downstream sector plays an essential role in Europe where industry focuses mainly on application markets and where socio-economic considerations have become the main driver of space policy.
The number of small satellites in orbit has increased rapidly over the last decade, and the growth of this sector is expected to accelerate even more in coming years.
The unprecedented growth of space activities, the multiplication as well as diversification of players involved in the exploitation of outer space, and even, more generally, the dependence of all sectors of activity on space infrastructures are some of the main phenomena that have led to a...
India has one of the oldest space programs in the world with space playing a critical role in India’s national development and external power projection capability.
Satellite constellations have become core elements of the digital transition. Over the next decade, several thousand satellites will have to be launched, to build these constellations. For positioning satellites, preferably in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), reliable and affordable launch...
Following the German September elections and on the eve of the French Presidency of the European Union, Ifri organized a day of debates on the future of technological sectors of strategic importance in Europe.
The access to space sector is no longer limited to the historic pioneers of the space adventure nor to the sole states. Exploration projects stimulate imagination and national narratives and trigger important investments in ambitious innovative projects.
Ifri and the Secure World Foundation (SWF) joined forces to organize a one-day conference in Brussels, addressing Transatlantic perspectives on Space security in the 2020s.
A Seminar with Bård Wormdal, author of the "Satellite War" and Journalist at NRK - Norway's largest media house.
... This closed seminar is a collaboration endeavor. A general introduction and two short presentations on legal and political points of view will set the stage for what we hope will be an engaging discussion, under the guidance of an experienced moderator. Each participant will be asked to ...
On-orbit satellite servicing (OOS) and Active debris removal (ADR) are part of an emerging category of future on-orbit activities that are critical for taking the next leap into our use of Earth orbit. The ability to repair or refuel satellites, construct new satellites in orbit, and even...
The annual space conference organized by Ifri and the Secure World Foundation will be held in Brussels on September 13th, 2012.
... The conference will provide a snapshot of the current governance of space programs in Europe. The first panel will explore structural issues: the implications of the Lisbon Treaty in terms of policy, the legal context for space activities in Europe and the burning topics of sustainable funding...
As European institutions continue to consider the use of space for security as well as the need for security in space, the United States has known a series of space reviews this past year. To explore these issues and foster an original debate, the Secure World Foundation, newly established in...
Conference organized in Geneva by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), in collaboration with the Secure World Foundation and The Simons Foundation, with support from the Governments of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation.
Since 1969, the return of a human mission to the Moon has never seemed so close. Although scientific interest continued to flourish, space programmes had for many decades abandoned it in favour of the International Space Station and missions to explore the solar system.
China's far-reaching ambition for a permanent presence in outer space began in earnest on Thursday with the launch of its first crew bound for a new space station.
The series For All Mankind (2019) is a fictional alternate history that imagines a world where the Soviet Union was the first power to send an astronaut to the moon. From that starting point, the two rival superpowers compete to establish their own lunar station.
Eric André Martin, coordinator of the research initiative on European space governance associating Ifri, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik (DGAP) and Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI...
