Europe’s Next Frontier: Building Sovereign Space Infrastructure for a Connected Future

In an era where data, defense, and communication define global power, Europe’s ability to secure its own space infrastructure has become a strategic necessity. In this NextSpace Session, Reflex Aerospace brings together voices from across the transatlantic NewSpace community — including leaders from CesiumAstro — to explore how next-generation satellite communications can reinforce sovereignty, resilience, and collaboration.

Hosted by Reflex Aerospace, the session sets the stage with a bold thesis: space is no longer a frontier, it’s infrastructure. From national security to broadband connectivity and environmental monitoring, modern life depends on reliable satellite systems. Yet, Europe’s access to those systems has long relied on legacy providers and non-European capabilities. That dependence, participants argue, must change.

A Shift from Legacy to Agility

Reflex Aerospace’s Chief Commercial Officer, Dennis Moore, outlines how the industry is moving from large, monolithic geostationary satellites toward distributed constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). These systems, built from modular platforms, enable faster data relay, lower latency, and enhanced resilience against single-point failures. “We’re enabling this new way of thinking,” Dennis explains. “Modern technology that serves missions to the fullest.”

Reflex’s mission is to make that transition real. By combining agile manufacturing with high-performance satellite design, the company delivers tailored, mission-specific platforms faster than traditional primes ever could. This is NewSpace - not just smaller satellites, but smarter ones, designed for flexibility and rapid deployment.

CesiumAstro: Enabling the Next Generation of Connectivity

Representing CesiumAstro, Sotiria Stathopoulou, a Product Manager based in Munich, explains how the company’s active phased-array antennas bring adaptable, high-throughput communications to space, air, and ground. By integrating these technologies onto Reflex’s satellites, the two companies are helping to shape a new ecosystem of software-defined, reconfigurable space assets.

Sotiria and her colleague Iraklis, who also focuses on European expansion, emphasize the value of transatlantic collaboration in accelerating innovation. Europe’s NewSpace movement thrives when startups, technology developers, and manufacturers bridge expertise across continents.

Why Sovereign Capability Matters

Throughout the discussion, one message comes through clearly: Europe cannot afford to wait. The continent’s governments and industries must invest in their own infrastructure, not as an act of protectionism, but of strategic independence. Sovereign space capability ensures that European missions, communications, and intelligence networks remain operational even when global supply chains or political alignments shift.

The participants frame this challenge not only in terms of national defense but also economic resilience. Space assets power everything from logistics and finance to agriculture and climate science. As a result, treating space as “essential infrastructure” is not merely visionary, it’s pragmatic.

Reflex Aerospace: Engineering a Smarter Future

For Reflex Aerospace, thought leadership in NewSpace isn’t just about vision, it’s about execution. The company’s custom-built, high-performance satellites are designed with flexibility at their core, serving dual-use and commercial missions alike. Reflex’s approach merges European precision engineering with a startup’s agility, allowing the company to iterate quickly and deliver hardware that evolves alongside its customers’ missions.

As Europe’s space ambitions grow, Reflex is positioning itself not only as a satellite manufacturer but as a strategic partner for governments, defense agencies, and private operators pursuing secure and scalable access to orbit.

The Future is Collaborative

As the conversation concludes, the thesis is clearly: the future of European sovereignty in space depends on openness; to new technologies, new partnerships, and new ways of building. Reflex Aerospace is proud to be at the center of that conversation, driving progress toward a future where Europe leads not only in space access but in space innovation.