Navigating the Transformative Shift
The space industry is undergoing a transformative shift, as its role becomes ever more critical to the smooth running of society in the modern world.
This increased reliance is driving heightened awareness of our increased vulnerability to risks such as debris collision and hostile acts. France is fully aware of the key role space plays in our modern lives and is actively working to dramatically improve its space programme.
Consequently, the US and France have established strategic space defence initiatives, emphasising space command creation, legal adaptation, and resilience programmes.
These strategies prioritise autonomy, sovereignty, resilience, and innovation. Collaboration with international and private partners becomes crucial. The challenge lies in structuring and executing this partnership network to achieve shared ambitions amidst a dynamically evolving space landscape.
Pioneering innovation: rethinking France's space sector
The French space sector, with a vertical partnership model since the 1960s, faces challenges due to new technological innovations and digital advancements.
Disruptive innovation threatens established capabilities, prompting a shift towards
innovative organisational models. Embracing New Space opportunities becomes crucial, necessitating a strategic approach centred on innovation.
The US example highlights the importance of reshaping organisational structures to support New
Space initiatives.
Key strategies include defining space policies, targeted investments in R&D, technology transfer, and regulatory adaptations.
Finding efficient models and partnerships combining incremental and disruptive innovation is imperative for France's space sector to remain competitive globally.
There are three types of partnerships available to companies: commercial, industrial
and technological. These may be supplemented by other types: thematic networks (competitiveness clusters) and groupings (clusters).
Among these partnership types, we are convinced that it is necessary to step
up the use of the
open innovation model in order to combine the structural strengths of large companies with the innovative agility of start-ups.
The challenge for the French space sector is to find new, efficient organisational models and partnerships that combine incremental and disruptive innovation.
François Bardin
Senior Manager, Defence & Security, Sopra Steria Next
Uniting stakeholders and forging a new vision
The challenge lies in uniting institutional and governmental stakeholders behind a common vision and roadmap for the advancement of military space operations.
Despite existing roadmaps, a cohesive overall vision remains elusive due to undefined roles, responsibilities, and objectives among key players.
Collaboration is hindered by dependencies between entities such as the DGA, space command, and defence agencies.
To foster success, alignment and governance are imperative, as demonstrated by experiences in digital continuity projects. Incentives, including revised contracting models and prioritising start-ups, are proposed for enhanced collaboration.
Interoperability standards, partner qualification mechanisms, scalable architecture, and cybersecurity measures are recommended to fortify space operations.