In this interview excerpt, Viviane Reding, Member of the Luxembourg Parliament from 1979 to 1989, Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1999 and since 2014, Member of the European Commission from 1999 to 2010 and Vice-President of the Commission from 2010 to 2014, discusses the establishment of the Société européenne des satellites (SES) on the initiative of Pierre Werner, Luxembourg Minister of State and Prime Minister from 1959 to 1974 and from 1979 to 1984. She also explains how the development of SES was facilitated by the European Union’s regulatory framework and describes her personal role in favour of this project in her capacity as a Member of the European Commission.