From Invisible to Indispensable: Why Space Must Be Recognized as Critical Infrastructure

Space assets underpin everything from real-time weather alerts to high-frequency trading. Yet, policymakers do not treat it as vital infrastructure. After 20 years immersed in launch pads, control rooms, and European budget negotiations, I’m convinced that this outdated view is a major cause of Europe’s chronic underinvestment in space. It’s also one of the reasons I wrote Chaos from the Cosmos.

Why Space Is Infrastructure

Before critiquing funding levels, we must clarify the premise: space systems are not luxuries or science experiments—they are critical infrastructure.

• Functionality: Satellites provide Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), which are essential for everything from financial transactions and energy grid management to autonomous vehicle operation. Alongside satellite communications, these systems are critical for maritime and aviation safety, the disaster response backbone of IoT-driven smart cities, autonomous ships, and much more.

• Economic Backbone: Earth observation satellites support climate monitoring, disaster relief, and precision agriculture. Their data help avoid billions in damages annually.

• Security & Sovereignty: National defense relies on space-based early warning systems, secure communications, and intelligence satellites. Losing these assets—or access to them—can effectively blind a nation.

• Network Effects & Longevity: Like roads or power grids, the value of space infrastructure increases as society integrates it. But unlike roads, satellites require regular replacement and upgrades every 10–20 years. This demands sustained investment—not one-off research grants.

Treating space budgets as if they were R&D funding ignores this reality. The result? Chronic underfunding and politically fragile commitments.

Investment Comparison: Satellite Infrastructure Projects vs. Other European Megaprojects

The European response to the US Global Positioning System (GPS), the Galileo program illustrates the mismatch between value and investment. Through the years of development, the project faced critical challenges. It was the first time such infrastructure was built in Europe. The drama and media controversy kept on for years.

Project	Cost (€ Billion)
Galileo Constellation (infrastructure)	10.2
Brenner Base Tunnel (rail)	10.5
Øresund Bridge/Tunnel	5.0
IRIS²	10.6 (including private funding)

Despite Galileo’s essential role and modest cost, securing even modest budget increases often meets resistance—while megaprojects like tunnels pass with relative ease. This reflects the persistent view of space as a scientific or technological novelty, rather than as core infrastructure.

A new European project, IRIS², a constellation of 280 satellites being built as a European response to Elon Musk's Starlink and other fast-growing internet networks, is now under development. Like Galileo, satellite communication is vital for Europe's economy and sovereignty. The continent cannot be dependent on the vagaries of foreign billionaires. Expect drama over the next few years as the project moves to realization. And silence when it enables everything from your personal communication device, your car or brings Internet and cloud services to your robot butler and mountain winter cabin.

Not only Europe: Budget Cuts vs. Golden Dome

Globally, the logic becomes even more tenuous. In the U.S., NOAA's and NASA's budgets are suggested to be slashed —while hundreds of billions are allocated to projects like the Golden Dome, whose strategic utility remains unclear (more on that later).

Closing Thoughts

Space is the invisible infrastructure underpinning modern life and the global economy. It is the nervous system of tomorrow’s interconnected world. Though somewhat intangible to policymakers—unseen, untouchable, and without ribbon-cutting ceremonies—its importance is profound. Failing to recognize this invites underinvestment, systemic vulnerabilities, and strategic dependence.

As I explore in Chaos from the Cosmos, ignoring space infrastructure could have devastating consequences. The book imagines a dystopian future where space sabotage cripples society. While fiction, the warning is real: unless Europe budgets for space the way it does for bridges and tunnels, it risks becoming dependent, reactive, and exposed.

Like rails, roads, and runways built Europe’s 20th-century economy, orbits and algorithms will define its 21st. Until satellites are treated as indispensable assets—on par with physical infrastructure—Europe will remain at the mercy of others’ goodwill.