There's a lot of big talk about sovereign launch—who is doing something about it?

No one will supplant American and Chinese dominance in the space launch arena anytime soon, but several longtime US allies now see sovereign access to space as a national security imperative.

Taking advantage of private launch initiatives already underway within their own borders, several middle and regional powers have approved substantial government funding for commercial startups to help them reach the launch pad. Australia, Canada, Germany, and Spain are among the nations that currently lack the ability to independently put their own satellites into orbit but which are now spending money to establish a domestic launch industry. Others talk a big game but haven't committed the cash to back up their ambitions.

The moves are part of a wider trend among US allies to increase defense spending amid strained relations with the Trump administration. Tariffs, trade wars, and [threats to invade the territory of a NATO ally][1] have changed the tune of many foreign leaders. In Europe, there's even talk of [fielding a nuclear deterrent][2] independent of the nuclear umbrella provided by the US military.

[Read full article][3]

[Comments][4]

[1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/us/politics/munich-democrats-cortez-greenland-trump.html
[2]: http://politico.eu/article/european-nuclear-deterrence-gathers-steam-munich-security-conference/
[3]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/02/which-countries-are-actually-serious-about-developing-their-own-rockets/
[4]: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/02/which-countries-are-actually-serious-about-developing-their-own-rockets/#comments

PLD Space shows off a model of its Miura 1 suborbital rocket during a 2021 presentation on the esplanade of the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid.


https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/02/which-countries-are-actually-serious-about-developing-their-own-rockets/