The Paris International Space Summit showcased Europe's growing ambition to become a major player in space exploration and launch capabilities. The event brought together nearly 120 international delegations and emphasized the importance of partnerships and national sovereignty in space. EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius highlighted that Europe's space initiatives are often fragmented, spread across multiple national programs. According to French President Emmanuel Macron, the summit resulted in about 50 new partnerships and agreements, valued at approximately €20 billion, signaling a strong push toward unity and collaboration in the space sector. The summit attracted representatives from various countries, including the UK, Japan, India, South Korea, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. However, major U.S. space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, along with two smaller American startups, withdrew from the event, likely due to pressure from the U.S. government. This move reflects the intense global competition in space, with challenges coming not only from China's reusable rocket technology and India's efforts to send its own astronauts into space, but also from the U.S. administration's push to develop its own independent space infrastructure, such as a newly announced U.S. Space Academy. Europe is striving for independence in three key areas: institutional, industrial, and individual. At the institutional level, the focus is on consolidating resources to prevent the fragmentation that has long hindered European space efforts. While Europe possesses the necessary technology, it lacks the scale to produce it at a competitive level. Experts emphasized the need for closer collaboration between private companies and public institutions to align future missions with specific needs rather than adapting to existing industry solutions. At the industrial level, European independence is demonstrated through strategic partnerships. For instance, Amazon, a competitor in the satellite connectivity market, has increasingly relied on Europe's Ariane 6 rocket for launching its Kuiper satellite project. This illustrates how European sovereignty can coexist with economic dependence on market rivals, as long as Europe maintains control over the infrastructure used. On the individual level, European space independence is being built through people and relationships rather than just contracts. A panel led by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet brought together International Space Station crew members, highlighting the importance of trust and collaboration. Despite political tensions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the working relationship among astronauts on the ISS has remained strong, showing the potential for international cooperation even in difficult times. The UAE astronaut on the panel emphasized that for countries without a long history in space, achieving sovereignty involves building capabilities through partnerships and knowledge transfer rather than starting from scratch. European astronauts are now reaching space not as isolated national representatives, but as a collective group large enough to form a true European space corps. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher asked whether Europe would be passive observers or active leaders in its space endeavors. The cost of securing Europe’s own access to low Earth orbit is estimated at around €1 billion annually for a decade, compared to roughly €5 billion over the same period to purchase launch services from foreign providers. The upcoming IRIS² mission will be a key test of Europe's ability to define its own space infrastructure and set the terms for its future in space.