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Launched on 15 December 2016, the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service provides aid to people in distress or imminent danger. The Galileo SAR Service relays highly accurate, timely and reliable distress alert data to Cospas-Sarsat. 

Under EUSPA management, the Galileo SAR Service has undergone continuous improvements developing breakthrough features such as the Galileo Return Link Service which was declared operational in January 2020. In February 2022, the Galileo SAR reached new heights with a record-breaking location accuracy performance of 98.12% below 2km. The EU constellation is the biggest contributor to the Cospas-Sarsat MEOSAR system, with experts estimating that Galileo helps to save about 2000 lives annually. 

Read this: La Réunion EU MEOLUT, a corner stone new infrastructure for SAR Galileo delivery in the Indian Ocean

Why CNES?

Prior to the launch of the Galileo Initial Services, to ensure that end-users make the most of the Service, the European Commission established the SAR/Galileo Data Service Provider (SGDSP) a new Entity entrusted to CNES tasked to provide the Galileo SAR Service in a safe, reliable and secure manner 

Given its longstanding history with COSPAS-SARSAT and its expertise in managing space ground infrastructures, in 2015 CNES was assigned to operate the SAR Service from SAR/Galileo Service Centre (SGSC), a Galileo Service Facility hosted in the Toulouse Space Center (CNES premises). The SGSC Facility monitors the overall SAR/Galileo Ground Segment (SGS), coordinates the maintenance activities and computes in near-real-time Service key performance indicators.

"CNES has been present from the foundation of the SAR/Galileo system up to the current exploitation phase building up a unique technical expertise, thus we are proud to be able to continue our work to support the search and Rescue operations", says Philippe Baptiste, President of CNES .  

EUSPA entrusts CNES once again with the responsibility of providing the SAR-Galileo services.

This new Contract will further expand the long-lasting and excellent collaboration between EUSPA and CNES in the SAR activities. It will ensure the continuation of the operations, maintenance and hosting services of the SAR/Galileo and the uninterrupted delivery of SAR signals and SAR data needed to guarantee the SAR/Galileo Service contribution to Cospas-Sarsat to the upmost standards. 

Watch this: Search and Rescue in the Arctic supported by EUSpace 

"We are happy to announce the extension of our collaboration in such an important service that delivers tangible benefits to EU and global citizens. I am also very pleased to see Member States actively participating in the development, support and evolution of the EU Space Programme" —EUSPA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa.

The duration of the Framework Contract is 10 years, which is warranted due to the international structure of the Cospas-Sarsat programme and the EUSPA objective to establish a long-term cooperation for the implementation of the current and future SAR/Galileo Services. 

The operations, maintenance and hosting services to be provided will remain a unique and non-competitive market and CNES will be the only entity capable of providing the above service in support of Cospas-Sarsat.

A team of qualified CNES personnel comprised of Navigation, System, Operations and SAR experts will support EUSPA to deliver the Galileo SAR service by seamlessly operating the ground segment, maintaining the infrastructure and offering technical support, among other objectives as well. Detailed information can be found in the Galileo SAR Service Definition Document.

What’s next for Galileo SAR?

The Galileo Full Operational Capability Programme roadmap foresees evolutions in the Galileo Services and Galileo System in the field of Emergency response. Both evolutions have strict links to the SGDSP activities foreseen under the new Framework Contract as their implementation directly affect the hosting, maintenance, operations and/or the Service monitoring tasks.

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).

The space downstream market is full of opportunities for companies developing GNSS-enabled chipsets, receivers and antennas – many of which are showcased in EUSPA’s first Fundamental Elements Catalogue.  

“This catalogue not only showcases the success of the Fundamental Elements initiative, it also provides an overview of the opportunities for the space downstream industry,” says EUSPA Head of Market, Downstream and Innovation Fiammetta Diani. 

Fundamental Elements is an R&D funding mechanism designed to support the development of innovative chipset, antenna and receiver technologies that industry would not yet invest in on its own initiative. In doing so, the programme helps accelerate the integration of European GNSS (EGNSS) into market-ready devices and solutions.

Now in its second call, the mechanisms has played a key role in positioning Galileo as the leading GNSS constellation we know today and in the development of the many GNSS-based applications that European citizens benefit from on a daily basis. 

Showcasing success 

The Fundamental Elements Catalogue provides an in-depth overview of all the projects that received a combined EUR 70 million in funding during the first call. 

One of those projects is the FANTASTIC project, which helped broaden the scope of professional GNSS applications by making them work in harsher conditions. To do this, the project developed technology for the optimal exploitation of the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) data provided by the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS). 

Also showcased in the catalogue is the AMETRINE project, which supported the uptake of the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service. It did this by developing an ultra-compact, market-ready SAR Return Link Service (RLS) beacon that can be incorporated into life-saving equipment.  

An essential resource and a source of inspiration 

These are just two of the 38 projects profiled in the catalogue. In addition to a general overview of each project, the catalogue includes information on the project’s target market, context and motivation, along with insights on the scope and challenges of the technical solution. Each entry also pays particular attention to how the project supports EUSPA’s mission of advancing the development and market uptake of EGNSS-enabled receivers.  

Thanks to its easy-to-navigate, highly visual layout, the Fundamental Elements Catalogue is an essential resource for anyone interested in sourcing the developed technologies, products and services. It also serves as a source of inspiration for any corporation, SME, university, research organisation or public entity interested in participating in the current call, which aims to integrate Galileo’s key differentiators into receiver technologies. 

“Looking at what the future holds, it is clear that Fundamental Elements will allow end-users from all segments to be part of a more competitive and strong EU Space landscape,” concludes Diani.

You can download your free copy here. 

New calls are upcoming, all the relevant information on the open and foreseen for the year calls including details on the application process, can be found here. 

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).

The space downstream market is full of opportunities for companies developing GNSS-enabled chipsets, receivers and antennas – many of which are showcased in EUSPA’s first Fundamental Elements Catalogue.  

“This catalogue not only showcases the success of the Fundamental Elements initiative, it also provides an overview of the opportunities for the space downstream industry,” says EUSPA Head of Market, Downstream and Innovation Fiammetta Diani. 

Fundamental Elements is an R&D funding mechanism designed to support the development of innovative chipset, antenna and receiver technologies that industry would not yet invest in on its own initiative. In doing so, the programme helps accelerate the integration of European GNSS (EGNSS) into market-ready devices and solutions.

Now in its second call, the mechanisms has played a key role in positioning Galileo as the leading GNSS constellation we know today and in the development of the many GNSS-based applications that European citizens benefit from on a daily basis. 

Showcasing success 

The Fundamental Elements Catalogue provides an in-depth overview of all the projects that received a combined EUR 70 million in funding during the first call. 

One of those projects is the FANTASTIC project, which helped broaden the scope of professional GNSS applications by making them work in harsher conditions. To do this, the project developed technology for the optimal exploitation of the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) data provided by the Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS). 

Also showcased in the catalogue is the AMETRINE project, which supported the uptake of the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service. It did this by developing an ultra-compact, market-ready SAR Return Link Service (RLS) beacon that can be incorporated into life-saving equipment.  

An essential resource and a source of inspiration 

These are just two of the 38 projects profiled in the catalogue. In addition to a general overview of each project, the catalogue includes information on the project’s target market, context and motivation, along with insights on the scope and challenges of the technical solution. Each entry also pays particular attention to how the project supports EUSPA’s mission of advancing the development and market uptake of EGNSS-enabled receivers.  

Thanks to its easy-to-navigate, highly visual layout, the Fundamental Elements Catalogue is an essential resource for anyone interested in sourcing the developed technologies, products and services. It also serves as a source of inspiration for any corporation, SME, university, research organisation or public entity interested in participating in the current call, which aims to integrate Galileo’s key differentiators into receiver technologies. 

“Looking at what the future holds, it is clear that Fundamental Elements will allow end-users from all segments to be part of a more competitive and strong EU Space landscape,” concludes Diani.

You can download your free copy here. 

New calls are upcoming, all the relevant information on the open and foreseen for the year calls including details on the application process, can be found here. 

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).

The European Union, its Member States, and Europeans across the continent have joined efforts to support people fleeing the devastating war. EUSPA is mobilizing the EU Space innovation community who can provide solutions to enhance humanitarian support. 

EU Space for humanitarian aid 

Earth observation (EO) and navigation (GNSS) capabilities are used in response to natural and man-made emergency situations. Downstream applications of GNSS and EO are deployed in all phases of emergency management, from preparedness and early warning to rapid mapping and post-event analysis. 

For prevention, risk reduction and recovery phases, EO provides risk assessment and simulation models. For early warning, EO enables continuous observations and forecasts of fires, surface deformation, or terrain deformation. During disasters, EO and GNSS enable search and rescue operations and provide rapid mapping allowing emergency responses to be coordinated efficiently. For post-event analysis, the comparison of recent and archival EO data assists relevant actors with an accurate damage assessment. 

For example, the UN organisation Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a communication tool to evaluate the humanitarian situation, whilst EO data and services provide the means to monitor the displacement of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), among other uses such as conducting population counting.

The European Earth observation and navigation programs Copernicus, Galileo and EGNOS provide the full picture needed for context-aware emergency management and delivering accurate and reliable information.

EUSpace4Ukraine demonstrator 

EUSpace4Ukraine is an initiative that unites NGOs, helpers, and innovators in relieving the pain of the Ukrainian people impacted by the Russian invasion. Under this initiative, a technical demonstrator will be developed that will support NGOs in their humanitarian activities connected to Ukraine. 

The objective of the workshop is to gather information from the humanitarian community with respect to the technical challenges they are facing. The output of the workshop will contribute to the development of the demonstrator, which will leverage European space data to address key challenges in the operational environments of NGOs. 

Register today!

If you are an NGO or a helper providing humanitarian support for Ukraine and want to learn how your activities can benefit from EU Space data or want to shape the technical demonstrator, we welcome you to participate in our workshop on 2 February - 10:00 am – 12:00 am CET.

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).

The European Union, its Member States, and Europeans across the continent have joined efforts to support people fleeing the devastating war. EUSPA is mobilizing the EU Space innovation community who can provide solutions to enhance humanitarian support. 

EU Space for humanitarian aid 

Earth observation (EO) and navigation (GNSS) capabilities are used in response to natural and man-made emergency situations. Downstream applications of GNSS and EO are deployed in all phases of emergency management, from preparedness and early warning to rapid mapping and post-event analysis. 

For prevention, risk reduction and recovery phases, EO provides risk assessment and simulation models. For early warning, EO enables continuous observations and forecasts of fires, surface deformation, or terrain deformation. During disasters, EO and GNSS enable search and rescue operations and provide rapid mapping allowing emergency responses to be coordinated efficiently. For post-event analysis, the comparison of recent and archival EO data assists relevant actors with an accurate damage assessment. 

For example, the UN organisation Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a communication tool to evaluate the humanitarian situation, whilst EO data and services provide the means to monitor the displacement of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), among other uses such as conducting population counting.

The European Earth observation and navigation programs Copernicus, Galileo and EGNOS provide the full picture needed for context-aware emergency management and delivering accurate and reliable information.

EUSpace4Ukraine demonstrator 

EUSpace4Ukraine is an initiative that unites NGOs, helpers, and innovators in relieving the pain of the Ukrainian people impacted by the Russian invasion. Under this initiative, a technical demonstrator will be developed that will support NGOs in their humanitarian activities connected to Ukraine. 

The objective of the workshop is to gather information from the humanitarian community with respect to the technical challenges they are facing. The output of the workshop will contribute to the development of the demonstrator, which will leverage European space data to address key challenges in the operational environments of NGOs. 

Register today!

If you are an NGO or a helper providing humanitarian support for Ukraine and want to learn how your activities can benefit from EU Space data or want to shape the technical demonstrator, we welcome you to participate in our workshop on 2 February - 10:00 am – 12:00 am CET.

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).

The European Union, its Member States, and Europeans across the continent have joined efforts to support people fleeing the devastating war. EUSPA is mobilizing the EU Space innovation community who can provide solutions to enhance humanitarian support. 

EU Space for humanitarian aid 

Earth observation (EO) and navigation (GNSS) capabilities are used in response to natural and man-made emergency situations. Downstream applications of GNSS and EO are deployed in all phases of emergency management, from preparedness and early warning to rapid mapping and post-event analysis. 

For prevention, risk reduction and recovery phases, EO provides risk assessment and simulation models. For early warning, EO enables continuous observations and forecasts of fires, surface deformation, or terrain deformation. During disasters, EO and GNSS enable search and rescue operations and provide rapid mapping allowing emergency responses to be coordinated efficiently. For post-event analysis, the comparison of recent and archival EO data assists relevant actors with an accurate damage assessment. 

For example, the UN organisation Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a communication tool to evaluate the humanitarian situation, whilst EO data and services provide the means to monitor the displacement of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), among other uses such as conducting population counting.

The European Earth observation and navigation programs Copernicus, Galileo and EGNOS provide the full picture needed for context-aware emergency management and delivering accurate and reliable information.

EUSpace4Ukraine demonstrator 

EUSpace4Ukraine is an initiative that unites NGOs, helpers, and innovators in relieving the pain of the Ukrainian people impacted by the Russian invasion. Under this initiative, a technical demonstrator will be developed that will support NGOs in their humanitarian activities connected to Ukraine. 

The objective of the workshop is to gather information from the humanitarian community with respect to the technical challenges they are facing. The output of the workshop will contribute to the development of the demonstrator, which will leverage European space data to address key challenges in the operational environments of NGOs. 

Register today!

If you are an NGO or a helper providing humanitarian support for Ukraine and want to learn how your activities can benefit from EU Space data or want to shape the technical demonstrator, we welcome you to participate in our workshop on 2 February - 10:00 am – 12:00 am CET.

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).

The European Union, its Member States, and Europeans across the continent have joined efforts to support people fleeing the devastating war. EUSPA is mobilizing the EU Space innovation community who can provide solutions to enhance humanitarian support. 

EU Space for humanitarian aid 

Earth observation (EO) and navigation (GNSS) capabilities are used in response to natural and man-made emergency situations. Downstream applications of GNSS and EO are deployed in all phases of emergency management, from preparedness and early warning to rapid mapping and post-event analysis. 

For prevention, risk reduction and recovery phases, EO provides risk assessment and simulation models. For early warning, EO enables continuous observations and forecasts of fires, surface deformation, or terrain deformation. During disasters, EO and GNSS enable search and rescue operations and provide rapid mapping allowing emergency responses to be coordinated efficiently. For post-event analysis, the comparison of recent and archival EO data assists relevant actors with an accurate damage assessment. 

For example, the UN organisation Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a communication tool to evaluate the humanitarian situation, whilst EO data and services provide the means to monitor the displacement of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), among other uses such as conducting population counting.

The European Earth observation and navigation programs Copernicus, Galileo and EGNOS provide the full picture needed for context-aware emergency management and delivering accurate and reliable information.

EUSpace4Ukraine demonstrator 

EUSpace4Ukraine is an initiative that unites NGOs, helpers, and innovators in relieving the pain of the Ukrainian people impacted by the Russian invasion. Under this initiative, a technical demonstrator will be developed that will support NGOs in their humanitarian activities connected to Ukraine. 

The objective of the workshop is to gather information from the humanitarian community with respect to the technical challenges they are facing. The output of the workshop will contribute to the development of the demonstrator, which will leverage European space data to address key challenges in the operational environments of NGOs. 

Register today!

If you are an NGO or a helper providing humanitarian support for Ukraine and want to learn how your activities can benefit from EU Space data or want to shape the technical demonstrator, we welcome you to participate in our workshop on 2 February - 10:00 am – 12:00 am CET.

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).