zprávy

Although it has been a taboo at the European level up to now, the time has come to break this taboo and to recognise that space is an enabler of security and defence, with a defence dimension for Galileo and a security element for Copernicus, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said at the 12th Space Policy Conference in Brussels on 22 January.

In his address at the Conference, the Commissioner stressed that the security and defence element of the space programmes would be strengthened with the progressive launch of two new initiatives – a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) system to monitor space debris, and a Governmental Satellite Communication (GovSatCom) initiative to provide Member States with reliable and secure satellite communication to support police, border protection and civil defence.

GSA ready for EUSPA

These programmes will be partly under the responsibility of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) as its mandate expands with the creation of the new European Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). Speaking at the conference, GSA Chief Operating Officer Pascal Claudel noted that, while some of the elements in the EUSPA mandate had yet to be finalised, the GSA was already preparing to take it up and, in particular, has started preparatory activities for GovSatCom.

Read this: EU space infrastructure guarantees leadership in security and defence

Commissioner Thierry Breton outlined his objectives for the Galileo programme, one of which is to ensure the smooth development of the Public Regulated Service (PRS). “Galileo is also a strategic asset, designed to be used for military and civil security purposes,” he said. In turn, Claudel noted that the GSA’s experience with the PRS had been of particular value in setting up the project aiming at identifying GovSatCom user needs and technological requirements.

In addition to the PRS, Commissioner Breton’s other objectives for Galileo include continuing deploying the programme in order to reach the Full Operational Capability as soon as possible; continuing to improve precision - with a target of 20 cm; and preparing already for the second generation of Galileo, to stay ahead in the technological race.

Space awareness

As regards Space Situational Awareness and Space Surveillance and Tracking (SSA/SST), P. Claudel said that EUSPA would benefit from the GSA’s security-oriented approach and experience of working with Member States as users of the PRS service and handling classified information with multiple stakeholders. The experience that the GSA has in the operations of the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre would be beneficial for the SSA, he said.

Reference to the cyber security aspect of the Galileo programme was also made. “This is taken very seriously by the GSA. In recent years, new specific cyber security requirements have been defined and taken into account in the development of the Galileo system and its operations,” said the GSA COO.

And this: PRS – the future is bright!

The GSA puts measures in place based on regular monitoring and analysis of threats to the system. “Vulnerabilities are analysed regularly and security measures are set up,” said P. Claudel, adding that while the complexity of the GNSS systems makes this task very complex, the GSA has processes in place to handle this activity.

Working together for success

In his speech, Commissioner Thierry Breton stressed the importance of governance. He said that to develop his strategy and vision for the space programmes, it would be necessary to work efficiently together. “Governance is central to any successful strategy and project, political or industrial. ... When governance is not clear, mistakes happen or issues appear,” he said.

The Commissioner said he had the impression that, in Europe, a lot of time is spent discussing who does what – especially between public actors – rather than actually doing it. “Let me be loud and clear: This is not possible anymore. If we are to be successful and invest efficiently our citizens’ taxpayer money, we have to … work as a team,” he said, adding that this team includes the European Commission, National Space Agencies, the European Space Agency (ESA), the GSA, and industry.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Although it has been a taboo at the European level up to now, the time has come to break this taboo and to recognise that space is an enabler of security and defence, with a defence dimension for Galileo and a security element for Copernicus, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said at the 12th Space Policy Conference in Brussels on 22 January.

In his address at the Conference, the Commissioner stressed that the security and defence element of the space programmes would be strengthened with the progressive launch of two new initiatives – a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) system to monitor space debris, and a Governmental Satellite Communication (GovSatCom) initiative to provide Member States with reliable and secure satellite communication to support police, border protection and civil defence.

GSA ready for EUSPA

These programmes will be partly under the responsibility of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) as its mandate expands with the creation of the new European Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). Speaking at the conference, GSA Chief Operating Officer Pascal Claudel noted that, while some of the elements in the EUSPA mandate had yet to be finalised, the GSA was already preparing to take it up and, in particular, has started preparatory activities for GovSatCom.

Read this: EU space infrastructure guarantees leadership in security and defence

Commissioner Thierry Breton outlined his objectives for the Galileo programme, one of which is to ensure the smooth development of the Public Regulated Service (PRS). “Galileo is also a strategic asset, designed to be used for military and civil security purposes,” he said. In turn, Claudel noted that the GSA’s experience with the PRS had been of particular value in setting up the project aiming at identifying GovSatCom user needs and technological requirements.

In addition to the PRS, Commissioner Breton’s other objectives for Galileo include continuing deploying the programme in order to reach the Full Operational Capability as soon as possible; continuing to improve precision - with a target of 20 cm; and preparing already for the second generation of Galileo, to stay ahead in the technological race.

Space awareness

As regards Space Situational Awareness and Space Surveillance and Tracking (SSA/SST), P. Claudel said that EUSPA would benefit from the GSA’s security-oriented approach and experience of working with Member States as users of the PRS service and handling classified information with multiple stakeholders. The experience that the GSA has in the operations of the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre would be beneficial for the SSA, he said.

Reference to the cyber security aspect of the Galileo programme was also made. “This is taken very seriously by the GSA. In recent years, new specific cyber security requirements have been defined and taken into account in the development of the Galileo system and its operations,” said the GSA COO.

And this: PRS – the future is bright!

The GSA puts measures in place based on regular monitoring and analysis of threats to the system. “Vulnerabilities are analysed regularly and security measures are set up,” said P. Claudel, adding that while the complexity of the GNSS systems makes this task very complex, the GSA has processes in place to handle this activity.

Working together for success

In his speech, Commissioner Thierry Breton stressed the importance of governance. He said that to develop his strategy and vision for the space programmes, it would be necessary to work efficiently together. “Governance is central to any successful strategy and project, political or industrial. ... When governance is not clear, mistakes happen or issues appear,” he said.

The Commissioner said he had the impression that, in Europe, a lot of time is spent discussing who does what – especially between public actors – rather than actually doing it. “Let me be loud and clear: This is not possible anymore. If we are to be successful and invest efficiently our citizens’ taxpayer money, we have to … work as a team,” he said, adding that this team includes the European Commission, National Space Agencies, the European Space Agency (ESA), the GSA, and industry.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The recent successful activation of the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) Return Link Service was very much in the spotlight at a press event held at the European GNSS Agency’s (GSA) Prague headquarters on February 3. At the ‘GNSS for #EUProtect’ event, which focused on the contribution of European GNSS to emergency response and civil protection in Europe, the SAR Return Link was successfully tested, demonstrating an impressive response time.

The Galileo Return Link Service (RLS), which allows people in distress to receive automatic acknowledgement that their distress signal has been received, was officially declared operational on January 21. The new functionality, currently offered uniquely by Galileo, enables a communication link that relays Return Link Messages (RLM) back to the originating beacon through the Galileo Navigation Signal in Space (I/NAV E1B).

Game changer

The RLS was successfully demonstrated during the Prague event, at which an end-to-end test of the forward and the return link was carried out with a ready-to-market beacon. With only 4.5 minutes between the activation of the beacon and the reception of the return link, the demonstration clearly showed the advantages of this service in a real life emergency situation. 

For someone in distress, receiving such acknowledgment in just over four minutes will provide a significant psychological boost and reduce panic, while allowing the rescue crew to improve the on-board logistics and planning of the rescue mission, thereby helping to save more lives. As such, the RLS is a real game changer for search and rescue services.

Read this: Galileo Return Link Service declared at European Space Conference

Speaking at the event, Rodrigo da Costa, Galileo Services Programme Manager at the GSA, said that a new Galileo facility – the Return Link Service Provider – had just been deployed in Toulouse, France to act as an interface between Galileo and Cospas-Sarsat, the international satellite-based search and rescue system. 

Da Costa summarised some of the RLS performance indicators: “The Galileo system loop latency is less than 15 minutes 99% of the time, with an end-to-end loop latency of less than 30 minutes,” he said, adding that this is typically less than 10 minutes as demonstrated during the Prague event, depending largely on the time it takes for Cospas-Sarsat to detect and locate the alert.

Saving lives

GSA Head of Market Development Fiammetta Diani spoke more generally about the contribution of EGNSS to the European economy and to emergency response, highlighting Galileo’s contribution to the eCall and E112 emergency response systems and the benefits of EGNOS for helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS). 

 “Galileo and EGNOS will contribute to saving at least 10,000 lives in the 2020-2025 timeframe. For example, with the Galileo-compatible eCall, by speeding up emergency response times by up to 50%, we can reduce the number of fatalities by 4% and the number of severe injuries by 6%-10%,” Diani said.

And this: Market understands value of dual frequency

“In the case of the Search and Rescue service we are demonstrating today, it is required to have a specialised beacon, as the users are normally outside the cellular network coverage, for example in the middle of the sea, while eCall and E112 are designed for our daily lives and can work directly from our cars and smartphones. They permit the emergency services to locate us quickly in case of accident or when we call the emergency number, without the need to explain where we are, which is often difficult or impossible when we are in distressful situations,” she said.

Following the launch of the RLS, the SAR/Galileo Service Definition Document (SDD) was updated to include information about new service, including details on the characteristics of the service and the infrastructure underpinning it, and also the Minimum Performance Levels (MPLs) that the SAR/Galileo Services users shall experience, as well as the main limitations and conditions of use. The latest version can be found here.

Galileo SAR RLS users that would like to receive more information can send their inquiries to the European GNSS Service Centre Help Desk at: www.gsc-europa.eu/helpdesk.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).