While Europe has long played a significant role in international space activity, it has historically relied on external partners like the United States and Russia for the majority of its launches. However, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the U.S’ shift to a more combative transatlantic policy, the European Union has increasingly sought to bolster its sovereign launch capabilities.

Currently, the majority of European launches are conducted from the Guiana Space Center (GSC) in French Guiana. While several additional launch facilities are maintained by European states like Sweden, the GSC remains the largest and most well-equipped. As a result, out of the three most populous EU member states (Germany, France and Italy), France is the only one with sovereign launch capabilities.

In an effort to rectify this, both Germany and Italy are working to develop their own launch capabilities. For Germany, this effort has centered on collaborations with the United Kingdom and private firms to expand launch facilities in the Shetland Islands. Similarly, Italy has explored partnering with Virgin Galactic to establish a launch facility on Italian soil. Despite these efforts, however, it remains unclear if either country can achieve sovereign launch capabilities within the next decade.

This question will resolve positively if a major news outlet reports that either Germany or Italy has successfully conducted a launch from a domestically-controlled launch facility by December 31, 2035.