Beyond Congestion: Europe's Path to Space Sovereignty with Francisco Boira Gual

Europe trails in satellite race; can VLEO be its edge? Francisco Boira Gual on using air-breathing thrusters for debris-free orbits, secure comms & EU autonomy

What if Europe’s struggle to compete in the satellite race stems not just from regulation or rivals, but from clinging to outdated orbits? In this interview, Francisco Boira Gual, a key voice in European space innovation, argues that the continent’s delays in spectrum sovereignty and slow regulatory agility have left it trailing giants like Starlink.

But his solution is radical: leapfrog traditional LEO by embracing Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO)—a domain where Europe can lead through sustainability, security, and breakthrough tech. He reveals how initiatives like IRIS² aim to accelerate this shift, and why Kreios Space’s air-breathing propulsion could be the key to unlocking VLEO’s promise: ultra-high-resolution Earth observation, debris-free orbits, and a truly autonomous European space future.

What are the main regulatory and geopolitical challenges currently facing the European satellite industry, particularly in relation to spectrum allocation and space sovereignty?

With the increasing congestion of radio frequencies and growing competition from global satellite constellations, Europe must assert its strategic autonomy by securing spectrum rights at international forums and reinforcing its independent capacity for space-based services.

Geopolitical tensions also underline the need for secure, resilient infrastructure, placing pressure on regulatory bodies to fast-track frameworks that balance innovation with national and EU-wide security. To remain competitive, there is a pressing need for more agile, responsive mechanisms that enable quicker decision-making and deployment. I think it has been one of the weak points of Europe in the last few years, we need to improve it.

How is the increasing demand for broadband connectivity in rural and remote areas driving investment in low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks across Europe?

It is a fact that the drive to eliminate the digital divide across rural and underserved regions in Europe is accelerating investment in LEO satellite networks, which will play a key role in our future life. These orbits provide the low latency and high throughput needed for modern broadband applications, making them ideal for bridging connectivity gaps.

Governmental digital inclusion programs and evolving 5G/6G strategies are incentivizing public and private actors to deploy constellations that ensure coverage across all European territories. However, I believe the true potential lies not in LEO networks, but in the development of VLEO networks. The investment in VLEO is growing even faster.

What role do public-private partnerships and EU-funded initiatives (such as IRIS²) play in accelerating innovation and infrastructure development in the European satellite sector?

Public-private partnerships and EU-funded initiatives like IRIS² play a central role in fostering technological sovereignty. They de-risk innovation by funding upstream R&D, prototyping, and demonstration missions, while also aligning industrial efforts with strategic EU goals such as secure communications and environmental sustainability.

These frameworks also enable small companies and start-ups to develop disruptive technologies with long-term public value, faster and more cost-effectively. The idea is perfect, but again, we will see if we are able to execute these initiatives in an agile manner and efficiently.

How is Europe addressing competition from global satellite giants like SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper in terms of technological capabilities and service coverage?

Europe is focusing on breaking this technological dependence and I think we are on the good way. We are still a few steps behind, but programs like IRIS² or players like OneWeb demonstrate Europe's ambition to provide secure, sovereign alternatives tailored to regional needs while fostering competitiveness through innovation and interoperability.

The point is that now we have an opportunity to be even better than them, by enabling VLEO. ESA has recognized this, which is why it has launched several ARTES telecommunications programme calls specifically focused on VLEO. This shift signals a strategic commitment to investing resources and accelerating innovation in this promising orbital regime.

What impact are sustainability concerns, such as space debris mitigation and eco-friendly satellite design, having on satellite manufacturing and launch practices in Europe?

Sustainability is no longer optional, it is becoming a core driver of satellite design and operations. In Europe, this is translating into more stringent guidelines on debris mitigation, end-of-life deorbiting, and the use of eco-friendly materials.

Manufacturers are incorporating modular designs, green propellants, and AI-based collision avoidance systems, all while adhering to upcoming ESA and EU regulatory frameworks aimed at a more responsible space environment.

In that sense, Kreios Space is uniquely positioned to contribute to this shift. Our electric thruster enables continuous drag compensation in VLEO (clean orbit), eliminating the need for onboard propellant. In VLEO, debris does not accumulate, any object without active propulsion quickly reenters the atmosphere and burns up. This means there is no need for post-mission disposal maneuvers, and the risk of long-term debris is inherently mitigated.

How does Kreios Space’s electric air-breathing propulsion system differentiate itself from traditional propulsion methods in terms of efficiency and mission duration for low Earth orbit satellites?

Kreios Space’s electric air-breathing propulsion system offers a paradigm shift for missions in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO), at around 200km. Unlike traditional thrusters that carry onboard propellant, our system intakes atmospheric particles and ionizes them for propulsion.

This innovation enables orbiting so close, unlocking new mission types such as ultra high resolution Earth observation and secure communications direct-to-device, thanks to the link budget improvement.

What are the main technical and regulatory challenges Kreios Space faces in bringing its air-breathing engine technology from prototype to commercial deployment within the European space ecosystem?

Technically, scaling our ABEP system from prototype to orbit-ready requires robust validation under realistic conditions. ABEP thrusters are typically low efficient, but we made huge improvements. On the regulatory side, while Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) presents a novel operational environment, the regulatory framework does not currently differ significantly from that of traditional LEO missions.

Our roadmap is aligned with the evolving European space policy and includes planned In-Orbit Demonstrations to ensure successful market entry.