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The abundance of satellites is not only responsible for "an unprecedented space traffic jam" but it’s also the cause of a large amount of space debris which is increasing at an alarming rate.

According to the European Commission, over 1 million debris items larger than 1cm are currently orbiting the Earth ranging from screws and dead satellites to space rocket components. To address the issue of space congestion, and as space debris can damage and potentially take out EU-owned functioning satellites such as Galileo, Copernicus, and EGNOS and privately owned, the Union recently proposed a holistic approach to Space Traffic Management. 

To support this initiative and given its expertise in service provision and security issues management, EUSPA, as of 1 July, will be operating the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Front Desk, following a European Commission’s Decision of 3 June 2022.

What will EUSPA do? 

The EU SST Front Desk team will continue interfacing with SST users – which include spacecraft owners and operators, EU institutions and EU Member States – to support them in using the dedicated Portal and benefitting from their services. The Front Desk also provides service performance information to certain stakeholders and promotes the use of the SST services. 

Together with the EU SST Partnership composed of 15 EU Member States, EUSPA will support the provision of space safety services to more than 190 registered organisations and contribute to the coordination of space traffic by protecting more than 400 satellites from the risk of collision with space debris or other operational satellites. Moreover, they will be detecting and monitoring break-ups in space and the uncontrolled re-entry of space objects into Earth’s atmosphere.

The transfer from the previous operator, SatCen, was performed seamlessly to minimize as much as possible the impact on users. Following the switch-over, services are being provided as expected, and the new contact details of the SST Helpdesk have been communicated to the users. 

The new premises of the EU SST Front Desk are located at EUSPA’s Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC) in San Martín de la Vega, Madrid, Spain.

"By managing the EU SST front desk, EUSPA contributes to the EU Space Traffic Management approach, as to support developing an EU strategy to ensure safe and sustainable use of space while preserving the EU space industry’s competitiveness" highlights EUSPA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa.

“The EU SST Partnership is committed to delivering public services in collision avoidance, re-entry and fragmentation analysis, through the EU SST Front Desk, to improve safety of space operations and contribute to the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. Together with EUSPA, we will continue to put the users at the centre of our commitment,” declared Pascal Faucher, Chairman, EU SST Partnership, Defence and security, CNES.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Held in a hybrid mode, the Galileo HAS Days was an opportunity for stakeholders, application developers, and international experts to receive an update on the status, performance, and evolution plans of this new groundbreaking service, which operational since January 2023. It was also the opportunity to receive feedbacks from the key pioneers using the added value of the high accuracy positioning from space (Beyond Gravity) to transportation (Anavs), agriculture (Hemisphere) to surveying and mapping (EOS Positioning) and location-based applications (Google). 

The event served as a platform where participants exchanged technical knowledge and views on the market opportunities HAS brings as well as the challenges various industries are facing. 

Attendees could take part in a series of live demos to experience firsthand the added value of Galileo HAS.

You can find the presentations delivered here.

In addition, participants could visit the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC) premises, the single interface between the Galileo system and the users. The GSC is a centre of expertise, knowledge sharing, custom performance assessment, information dissemination, and support to the provision of value-added services enabled by the Galileo services. For the particular case of Galileo HAS, the GSC hosts the High Accuracy Data Generator (HADG), which computes the HAS orbit and clock corrections as well as the signal biases which are broadcast through the Galileo constellation and over the internet.

“The workshop provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on our service performance and share our ambitious roadmap for the future. The strong attendance demonstrates the significant interest and appreciation for our user-centered approach. It highlights our commitment to bringing our services closer to those who rely on them,” stated Javier de Blas, Galileo High Accuracy and Commercial Authentication Services Manager at EUSPA.

The added value of Galileo HAS

The new ground-breaking service of the EU’s positioning system offers users an unprecedented level of horizontal accuracy down to 25cm over most parts of the globe in nominal conditions. It is transmitted directly via the Galileo signal in space (E6-B) and through the internet. With HAS, Galileo becomes the first constellation worldwide able to provide a high-accuracy service globally and directly through the Signal in Space.

"Emerging technologies such as real time precise orbit determination, UAVs and autonomous vehicles require stringent levels of accuracy for better navigation and positioning experience." says Carmen Aguilera, Head of Section, Operational market development and Safety critical applications at EUSPA. Furthermore, an increased accuracy positioning feeds innovative applications in agriculture, geomatics, location based services and many other market segments.

The Galileo HAS will become a pillar for applications needing precise and reliable position information. This includes EU sectorial policies and also national policies by EU Member States.

The Galileo HAS is provided by the EU Agency for the Space Programme and was developed and tested together with the European Commission (DG DEFIS and the JRC) and the European Space Agency. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).