The Nov. 26-27 meeting of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Council of Ministers is shaping up to be a watershed moment, with senior space officials from the 23 member states set to vote on a package of projects explicitly designed to bolster Europe’s defense capabilities.

If the proposal from ESA Director Josef Aschbacher is approved, it would be a historic first — since its founding in 1975 the agency has assiduously disavowed any connection to military space activities, instead insisting on a strictly civil mission.