Europe risks being pushed to the sidelines of the new space race because it lacks enough heavy-lift launch vehicles to maintain a steady flow of orbital missions, Bloomberg reports.

According to the agency, Europe’s space industry is being held back by conflicting national priorities, restricted government funding and gaps in critical technology. A central weakness is the continent’s inability to carry out the required number of launches each year.

Europe is consequently losing ground to Russia, the United States and China. Together, the three countries have invested more than $200 billion in their space programs over the past five years.

European startups are trying to build domestic alternatives to US launch systems, but they have completed only a limited number of missions so far. Most developers are focusing on speed, reusable technology and local production. Payload capacity receives less attention, reducing the potential military applications of their launch systems.

Germany is meanwhile preparing to expand its military presence in orbit. Tagesschau previously reported that the German Defense Ministry plans to launch four experimental satellites in 2027. The spacecraft are expected to monitor other objects in orbit and generate interference.

Handelsblatt has also reported that the ministry is considering a network of up to 1,200 communications and reconnaissance satellites. Should the project move forward, the constellation could become the world’s second largest after the US Starlink system.