Australia and France should be cooperating in the space domain—much more than they currently do.
With increased strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, space is becoming a critical area, and Australia’s neighbours are investing exponentially in technology and alliances.
France, one of the world’s main space powers, has important capabilities in the region and has already developed major partnerships, notably with India. But, despite its active industry and space agency, it seems to go unnoticed, under Australia’s radar.
French-Australian cooperation could be rooted in already existing partnerships in areas such as defence, intelligence or climate monitoring and resilience. This would contribute to stronger ties between the two like-minded countries and match Australia’s policy of favouring space diplomacy and cooperation with allies rather than space autonomy.
In the Indo-Pacific, several countries have developed capabilities in the space domain, such as Japan, China, India and, increasingly, Indonesia.
France, with its space agency CNES, is one of the oldest spacefaring nations and the main contributor to the European Space Agency, the headquarters of which is in Paris. France’s space budget for the 2022–2025 period exceeds €9 billion, divided between CNES, ESA and the national industry.
French space research and industry are self-standing, and the company Arianespace has just inaugurated its latest launcher model, Ariane 6. With its overseas territories, especially in the Indo-Pacific, France has a unique all-round cover of satellite-control stations and launches its own payloads from Kourou in French Guiana.
In comparison to similarly developed countries, Australia has been reluctant to invest in the space sector and build a capability of its own, whether civil or military. The space sector suffers from short-term political considerations and the shifting priorities of each government.
But growing challenges and competition in the region are now putting pressure on all strategic areas, including space and its dual-use technologies, which are critical for issues ranging from intelligence, defence and data protection to climate monitoring and disaster relief.
When the Australian Space Agency was created in 2018, with hopes of improving awareness about the space domain, its first official partnership was with France.
Options for further cooperation could go way beyond current agreements, especially with the multiplication of mini-lateral agreements in the Indo-Pacific.
Climate monitoring and disaster response through Earth observation are already key in the FRANZ humanitarian arrangement between France, Australia and New Zealand, which could be explored further and expanded.
CNES has developed important partnerships with several agencies in the region, particularly the Indian Space Research Organisation, and is a major support to India’s space efforts. The first Franco-Indian satellite launch dates back to 2011, and CNES will participate in the Indian mission to Venus scheduled for 2025. As France and India keep deepening their relationship, the trilateral partnership with Australia could be expanded to include space as an area of cooperation.
In the past couple of years, France and Australia have begun rebuilding their diplomatic ties after the damage of the much-discussed submarine turmoil in 2021, following the advent of AUKUS.
After many talks and a visit by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Paris, a reconciliation road map was elaborated to foster French-Australian ties in several policy areas. Among topics ranging from critical minerals to sports partnerships, cooperation in space was mentioned in a broad way, especially relating to defence, military communications and climate resilience.
In addition to that, in 2023, the Australian and French defence ministers, Richard Marles and Sebastien Lecornu, signed a declaration of intent on military space cooperation.
Given the increased competition in the Indo-Pacific, France’s cherished Indo-Pacific Strategy and its space capabilities, it’s surprising that cooperation with Australia in space has remained timid so far, barely extending beyond handshakes and declarations of intent.
As AUKUS slowly progresses into Pillar 2, there are hopes for more opportunities for space initiatives, such as the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability at Exmouth, Western Australia. While AUKUS presents unmatched opportunities for cooperation with Britain and the US, the prospects of expanding some areas of Pillar 2 to other countries could bolster partnerships in a costly and resource-intensive sector such as space.
Australia, with its ideal geography for space observation and launches, already holds a strategic position as a middle power in the Indo-Pacific and has dynamic universities and research institutions that make it an attractive partner.
By fostering space cooperation with France, and also with its Indo-Pacific neighbours more broadly, Australia could navigate the challenges of strategic competition better, affirming its role as a balancing force and a middle power in space.