Debating European defense space challenges at the Cité de l’espace

From February 24th to March 4th the Cité de l’espace hosted AsterX2022, a military space exercise organized within the scope of the French presidency of the European Union Council and overseen by the Space Command (CDE) of the French Air and Space Force (AAE). Over six days, some fifty participants addressed 16 scenarios simulating space attacks (cyberattacks, approach of enemy satellites, etc.). The goal: to optimize the defence process deployed but also international and civil-military cooperation. « This exercise was a stress test of our systems », summed up General Michel Friedling, Commander of the CDE. While the first event in 2021 was on a national scale, this year’s event brought together military representatives from 27 countries including the United States, Luxembourg, Portugal, Germany and Italy. Several industrial organizations and institutions also attended including the CNES, Safran, ArianeGroup and Airbus. Present during the exercise, General Stéphane Mille, Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force, sees this mobilization within the scope of AsterX as the realization of the French space defence strategy.
The exercise concluded on Friday, March 4th at the Cité de l’espace, in keeping with its role as an echo chamber for space news, with a VIP Day in the presence of the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, along with several European Defence Ministers and Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner in charge of digital affairs. Highlights of the day included presentations of European initiatives in the field of defence and space, with a special focus on the connectivity constellation, space traffic management and the future space strategy for the security and defence of the European Union.
According to Jean-Claude Dardelet, Vice-president of Toulouse Métropole, President of Semeccel, « As a host to this event, the Cité de l’espace confirms its role as the partner of choice for all those involved in major space issues both at the national and international levels. »

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