The Story
A Galileo navigation satellite collides with debris. Then intelligence suggests Russian hackers steered it there, and that the Americans saw it coming and said nothing.
Europe is exposed. An American constellation blankets the continent, Ariadne 6 costs three times what Eagle Prime charges, and SpaceY will sell anyone capability on the spot, no questions asked.
In Brussels, governments, ESA officials and aerospace executives, from old prime contractors to scrappy launch startups, have 48 hours to trade budgets, contracts and capability in an emergency session of the European Space Council.
Everyone can watch SpaceY’s stock climb in real time. No one can see whether Europe is keeping pace. Will Europe win its autonomy, become America’s best customer, or fall into the trap?
