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Macron Opens France’s Space Command in Toulouse and Unveils 2040 Strategy With €4.2 Billion Defense Boost

Paris signals a bid to rewrite ESA procurement rules to build competitive European champions.

Overview

  • The Commandement de l’Espace is now operational in Toulouse near CNES, a 11,000 m² hub staffed by roughly 400–500 personnel to run France’s space operations.
  • France will add €4.2 billion to military space through 2030 alongside more than €16 billion for civil and dual‑use programs.
  • The strategy sets delivery targets including the Orbit Guard surveillance system by 2027 and the TOUTATIS and YODA patroller satellites in 2027–2028, plus expanded jamming and laser defenses.
  • Macron cites Russian satellite espionage, GPS signal jamming and cyberattacks, and warns of a Russian threat to place nuclear weapons in space.
  • France presses a European industrial push with reusable, low‑cost high‑thrust launchers, a modernized Kourou, relaxation of ESA’s return‑rule ahead of the Bremen ministerial on 26–27 November, and a European space summit slated for April 2026.