European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen and NASA's Kathleen Rubins on a field trip to the volcanic island of Lanzarote, in preparation for a moon landing (Photo: ESA/A.Romeo)

Feature

Europe to define new space ambitions at February summit

EU & the World

by Lisbeth Kirk, Arrecife,

European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen and NASA's Kathleen Rubins on a field trip to the volcanic island of Lanzarote, in preparation for a moon landing (Photo: ESA/A.Romeo)

Space is thought to be unlimited, but the lower Earth orbit (LEO) is limited - and filling quickly up with new satellites and space litter from old ones.

The lack of space has already put the two richest men on planet Earth, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, at odds.

Musk's Starlink has placed some 16,000 satellites in orbit to deliver high-speed internet to anyone on the planet.

Amazon's Bezos' competing project, Kuiper, hopes to have 3,200 satellites in operation after its first l...

To read this story, log in or subscribe

Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.

Already a member? Login

EU & the World Feature

Author Bio

Lisbeth founded EUobserver in 2000 and is responsible to the Board for effective strategic leadership, planning and performance. After graduating from the Danish School of Media and Journalism, she worked as a journalist, analyst, and editor for Danish media.