@mentges.bsky.social
Space Economist. Interested in European Integration, industrial policy, innovation, strategic sovereignty, and of course things like launchers, SatCom, EO ... I have another profile focused more on my old interests: Macro, monetary policy and banking.
My historical NASA budget dataset has a new home on The Planetary Society's website, and is now updated with all final FY 2026 details. New per-sheet CSV/XLSX download options as well! Check it out at: www.planetary.org/space-policy...
19.02.2026 00:20 — 👍 29 🔁 11 💬 0 📌 1An important resource here, gang!
19.02.2026 03:16 — 👍 4 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0So in gold? 🙈
18.02.2026 16:16 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Here is an article in English: phys.org/news/2026-02...
18.02.2026 13:30 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
According to a new paper, we could launch a probe in 2035 to intercept 3I/Atlas by 2085.
On the other hand we expect to discover way more interestellar objects with our new capabilities (mainly Vera Rubin telescope). No need to hunt 3I/Atlas. Unless Loeb was right ;)
This map explains nicely why seafaring was so important in days gone by. Travel by boat was simply heaps faster than any land option...
18.02.2026 07:00 — 👍 110 🔁 30 💬 8 📌 1They even seem to be willing to rely on their partners:
"The UK will protect and defend our space interests by working closely with international partners. We will continue to secure access and uses of space by strengthening existing partnerships and generating new relationships,"
"We will be the first country to launch a small satellite from Europe in 2022 from the spaceports being developed across the UK. Current proposed spaceports are located in Scotland’s Shetland Isles, Sutherland, Argyll, Prestwick, and Outer Hebrides; Snowdonia in Wales; and Cornwall in England"
17.02.2026 23:02 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0While they acknowledge that "spaceflight is a prerequisite to acting in space" and that "launch capabilities are needed
to deliver satellites into Earth’s orbit" the associated "UK activity" in their strategy concentrates on their spaceports.
Interestingly the UK space strategy is not that explicit about launchers. They seem to focus more on their space ports.
While they list Orbital Launch Capability as one of their key civil and defence capability priorities they do not imply that a UK launcher is a strategic necessity.
The first of five pillars of the French space strategy is about access to space:
"Pillar 1: Ensure autonomous, sustainable and
competitive access to space for France and Europe"
For them "Access to space is the foundation of all space sovereignty."
Why am I still puzzled? Access to space, or the ability to launch satellites with domestic launchers is widely regarded of strategic importance.
E.g. the German space strategy: The availability of launch systems and the access to space they enable are of strategic importance for Germany and Europe.
While it remains unclear what really went on, the FT puts it a bit differently:
"The takeover talks with TEC collapsed after the European group failed to win UK government funding for its high-thrust rocket engine programme, according to two people close to the situation."
Coming back to this because I am still a bit puzzled why the UK government let Orbex fail.
But first to my question above: why did I ask that question while the title of the article suggests that the UK government actually blocked a takeover by a EU company?
How Space Force Is Managing Growth at Its Busiest Launch Range www.airandspaceforces.com/space-force-...
17.02.2026 15:58 — 👍 1 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
SatVu has secured £30 million in new funding to expand its thermal infrared Earth observation constellation, with two satellites scheduled for launch in 2026.
europeanspaceflight.com/earth-observ...
While it is welcome that #SpaceX has taken steps to restrict Russia’s use of Starlink, the obvious question is why these measures were not implemented earlier.
17.02.2026 15:28 — 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 2 📌 0
The Ukrainian army recaptured 201 km² of its own territory from Russian forces.
"These Ukrainian counterattacks likely exploit the Russian armed forces’ loss of access to the #Starlink satellite system, which, according to Russian military bloggers, has disrupted communications and command."
158 first-gen Starlinks have now relocated from the 547 km/53 deg shell to the 475 km/53 deg shell. About another 180 are on the way down still.
16.02.2026 17:47 — 👍 40 🔁 15 💬 3 📌 0
Spain's Sateliot has selected PLD Space to launch two 5G D2D satellites aboard a dedicated MIURA 5 flight in 2027. europeanspaceflight.com/sateliot-sel...
17.02.2026 08:32 — 👍 26 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 1In 2016, ahead of the referendum, I made a comparison of the different economic projections regarding the effects of Brexit.
Let's just say that neither the 'Economist for Brexit' nor EU-sceptical think tank 'Open Europe' were close to the mark:
LEGO Education has two new kits that are aimed at getting kids to "Build. Solve. Invent." their future lives off of Earth...
16.02.2026 17:05 — 👍 9 🔁 3 💬 2 📌 1
Interesting piece on the high-speed rail network in China.
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Rocket Factory Augsburg has begun preparations for the inaugural launch of its RFA ONE rocket, proceeding with commissioning its SaxaVord launch pad in Scotland.
europeanspaceflight.com/rfa-begins-f...
Find all the data and figures here:
europa.eu/eurobaromete...
Luxembourg being one of the highest makes sense. They have the biggest space budget/gdp-ratio and probably space economy/gdp-ratio.
I would have expected France to be a bit higher.
Impact on the economy: tbh. I think the space programmes are very important for sovereignty and resilience but the direct economic impact is relatively small.
Of course, there are huge technology spillovers, though ;)
Eurobarometer on the perception of the EU's space programmes:
"Security and defence is also considered as a key priority for EU space policy, by 53% of Europeans, followed by environment and climate (36%) and competitiveness and growth of European industry (31%)."
Wadephul: “France, too, needs to do what we are doing here with difficult discussions.”
Maybe he should recognize that France is in a financially and politically difficult situation while the German government was handed the opportunity of unlimited defense spending by a very friendly opposition.
@vcdgf555.bsky.social As UK's BBC Verify has indicated, on on 15th Feb 2026 the USS Abraham Lincoln was spotted around 250 km off the coast of Oman by EU #Copernicus #Sentinel2 satellite www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3...
Image via Copernicus Browser.
