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A special session at the European Space Week conference in Marseille featured representatives of key EU space bodies addressing challenges and implications in the area of Security and Defence.

In an evolving global security context, it becomes increasingly critical to ensure the independent capabilities and freedom of action of the European Union and its Member States. "Security and defence is becoming more and more a priority field for the EU," said European Space Week session chair Jean-Pierre Diris, Head of Telecommunications and Navigation Projects at the French Space Agency. "The list of recent terrorist attacks is long and terrible, from Paris to Brussels to Berlin, Barcelona and Madrid, and many others. We have the migration crisis coming from the south, and Russia has made clear its intentions at the EU's eastern borders."

Geopolitics is evolving, Diris said, with the USA seeking to reduce its burden and asking its allies to bear more of the cost of defence. "We in Europe must master our own security and defence," he said. "Moreover, by increasing synergies between civilian and security activities, we could reduce costs and improve efficiency." Among the central priorities as the Union looks forward, Diris said, is a credible European defence fund, with a figure of around 1.5 billion per year now having been proposed.

While the EU flagship space programmes, Galileo and Copernicus, are essentially civil and commercial in nature, both have the potential for military use, making them possible assets as Europe moves towards a more independent stance. Evi Papantoniou, European Commission Head of Unit for Galileo and EGNOS legal and institutional aspects, said: "Strategic autonomy has become a buzzword for Europe. But we want to be sure we understand what that means. We don't want to create additional tension with our external allies."

In the area of security and defence, said Papantoniou, Europe is proposing the creation of a European Defence Fund to support the European defence industry, promoting cooperation between Member States. This is not about creating a "European army", as President Juncker said, but working together with Member States, addressing the new security challenges. 

Protecting the programme

Given the importance of space-related activities for the European economy and for the lives of its citizens, achieving and maintaining a high degree of security is a key priority. This priority applies to the protection of the EU Space Programme itself, which encompasses Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, the GovSatCom initiative and Space Situational Awareness (SSA).

Stefano Iannitti, Head of Security at the European GNSS Agency (GSA), discussed the role of the Agency in this context. "One of the major focuses of the GSA is security - security of the European GNSS systems and of their operations, of the services," he said. Ensuring that Galileo and EGNOS services are secure involves a number of elements, Iannitti said, including the implementation of security governance, policies, requirements and standards.

"A specific team at the GSA is in charge of security engineering for operations and services. This team is also responsible for cyber security," Iannitti said. "And indeed this area is growing because of the increasing threats of this type. Another team is in charge of handling the cryptographic items in use in the EU GNSS."

Finally, the GSA is focused on the Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS) and the implementation of its requirements. "Here we work on PRS engineering and evolution, PRS operations and service provision, and finally we focus on the PRS user segment and access," Iannitti said. “This includes user equipment development under GSA-funded projects and support to the Competent PRS Authority (CPA) set-up. And we have ongoing operational demos and validation work. We also have ongoing projects for testing the full operational PRS chain."

Another key role is played by the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC), which is an integral part of the Galileo infrastructure. It monitors and takes action regarding security threats, security alerts and the operational status of systems components.

Philippe Rosius, Head of the GSMC explained, "The GSMC is a GSA entity, independent from the operator. It has direct reporting connections with the EC, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Members States. We have two sites, one master in France and one back-up, currently being relocated from the UK to Spain."

The GSMC comprises a crew of highly motivated people dedicated to security, he said. Since 1 July 2016, the Centre has been monitoring the safety and security of Galileo operations, providing an interface for Member States and access to the PRS, distributing the cryptographic keys.

With regards to PRS, "we are in the ramp-up phase” he said. “The GSMC will eventually become the single access point for the Member States to the PRS. And we also provide other services, when requested by the European Council, providing GNSS expertise and analysis to a variety of parties”.

"On the question of why we do this work," Rosius said, "it is because our world is not as secure as we would like it to be. We need to be secure against physical and cyber threats, and we need to be able to mitigate the risks. We need to protect our networks, our centres and stations all around the world. And we have a solid European regulatory framework that gives us the authority to carry out our missions within clear boundaries."

Another body with a key role to play is the EU GNSS Security Accreditation Board (SAB), represented at the session by SAB Chair Bruno Vermeire. The Board is the sole Security Accreditation Authority of the European GNSS systems and acts independently, composed of representatives of Member States, the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

In his conclusions, Stefano Iannitti reminded participants that security is a transversal activity. "The GSA can be considered as a security hub, supporting all aspects of EU GNSS security. And we at the GSA are ready to share our experience, our competencies, with other EU Space Programmes, because we are confident that we are paving the way towards European space security for European citizens and the European Union."

Other EU Space Programmes

Europe's other flagship space programme, Copernicus, also came centre stage during the Security and Defence session in Marseille. Distinguished speakers such as Darek Saunders, Senior Research officer at Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Ricardo Vicente of the European Maritime Safety Agency, and Denis Bruckert, Head of the Copernicus Unit at the European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen) all delivered important presentations on how Copernicus is contributing to security- and defence-related Earth Observation missions in virtually every part of the world.

The session also included a roundtable on the GOVSATCOM initiative. Its objective is to ensure in both the civil and military environment reliable, secure and cost-effective satellite communication services for EU and national public authorities managing security-critical missions and operations. The goal is also to enhance European autonomy and overcome fragmentation of demand by making use of affordable and innovative solutions in concert with industrial players.

GOVSATCOM actions are currently taken jointly by the European Commission, the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The first two communication platforms, the Pacis projects, based on a partnership between a group of private providers and satellite operators, are being set up through a cooperative scheme involving ESA and the EDA.

A new European mind-set

Pablo Gonzalez of Indra, speaking on behalf of the Aerospace and Defence Industry Association (ASD), returned in his presentation to the broader geopolitical perspective. He talked about the recent announcement by the US President about the creation of a new US Space Force.

"In order to reflect on the future in defence it is mandatory to take into account what is going on the other side of the Atlantic," Gonzalez said. "Because usually, the Americans, we need to recognise, especially in the area of defence, are a step ahead of us.

"We currently have an enormous amount of assets in space, tens of billions of Euros in infrastructure, and we need to defend it. Up to now, the ability to attack in space was limited to one, two, three countries. But today, with current technologies, traditional and non-traditional threats, it is possible for much smaller countries or even terrorist organisations to attack these assets. So we need to be able to defend and to counterattack."

This means, Gonzalez argued, "Europe needs to adopt a different mind-set when it comes to the military use of space. We need to work towards the medium term, we need to think about a strategic view," he said. "And here I would say that we need to talk about operational but also technical capabilities, so this is closely linked to industry. Industry is key to developing new capabilities in Europe with the necessary degree of strategic autonomy."

You can access presentations from the Security and Defence session at European Space Week here.

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).

As was highlighted at the 2018 European Space Week special session on Interconnectivity, European space technology is providing smart, new applications that deliver the information we need to make faster, easier and more efficient decisions.

According to a study conducted by CISCO, by as early as next year, there will be more than 30 billion connected objects in the world. From connected watches to cars and even houses, this unprecedented shift towards interconnectivity will transform the global economy.

Driving this revolution in interconnectivity are space technologies, including GNSS and Earth observation. “Everything from logistics to agriculture, outdoor recreation and the Internet of Things, depend on such space technologies as EGNOS and Galileo,” said Justyna Redelkiewicz, Head of Section LBS & IoT at GSA, who chaired a special session on Interconnectivity during the 2018 European Space Week. “Space technologies are also at the centre of many of the latest consumer applications – and their use will only increase in the near future.”

Everyone, everywhere, and everything

On the topic of How to Connect and Locate Things, the Alliance of Internet of Things Innovation’s Francois Fisher discussed both the challenges that European industry currently faces and how IoT can help overcome these challenges. The European Commission’s Christoph Kautz provided an overview of areas relevant to interconnectivity, with a focus on the areas where the European Commission is playing an active role (i.e., artificial intelligence, IoT standardisation, E112 pilots, and digital maps). David Fernandez of Sigfox noted that by 2020 his company’s terrestrial network would be complemented by a global capability, thanks to a satellite communication service.

Satellites in the scrum

Speaking of satellites and sports, Frederic Valois of Thales Services took the European Space Week stage to introduce the Thales GEONAV service. The seamless indoor/outdoor location solution is currently being used to provide critical information to rugby teams in France. Via a hybridisation of ultra-wideband and GNSS, GEONAV provides teams with real-time measurements and monitoring of a player’s position, speed and even heart rate.

“Because this technology can provide precise and secured location both inside and outside, its use goes beyond sports and can include helping to locate people and assets,” explained Valois. “It is innovation like this that will position European industry as a major actor in the LBS market.”

Accurate and affordable positioning

Another key market trend highlighted during the session was the shift towards accurate and affordable positioning. “We are witnessing exciting times, as low-cost, high-precision GNSS receivers are coming onto the market and challenging the dominance of the older and expensive models,” said Xavier Banqué-Casanovas, CEO of Rokubun.

Rokubun is the company behind ARGONAUT, a fully-integrated GNSS receiver designed to meet the need for high-precision geo-location data. The receiver combines an advanced, multi-constellation GNSS receiver and a powerful navigation processing cloud service to provide users with more accurate and affordable geolocation.

Rokubun is now part of consortium developing FLAMINGO – a high accuracy positioning service for use by mass market applications.

A packed agenda

The Interconnectivity session was packed with informative presentations from a range of stakeholders, projects and companies. You will be able to access the presentations here, as soon as they are available.

Thanks to initiatives like the Kinéis constellation, in the coming years, interconnectivity will be available to everyone, everywhere and for all devices. “Kinéis IoT devices will integrate seamlessly, need little power and be fully compatible with other systems,” said Marc Leminh, Director of Development at CLS. “It will also be robust, reliable and inexpensive.”

Specifically designed for IoT, the Kinéis nanosatellite satcom constellation will provide connectivity for a whole host of activities, all having in common one feature: all being away from the reach of terrestrial networks. 

Talking about new IoT chipsets and trends in digital mapping, Sony’s Rajni Agarval introduced the company’s low power, multi-constellation GNSS chipsets for wearables, trackers and telematics. On the mapping side, David Barbier from TomTom presented high definition maps created via professional methods (i.e., survey vehicles) and crowdsourcing. “Open source data has proved to be a highly reliable source of information for TomTom,” he said. “Currently, 400,000 kilometres of roads covered with high definition maps are being utilised by many OEMs.”

The session also put the spotlight on a number of innovative start-ups, including Centrip, a tracking system for children; OPT/NET BV, a classification service for Earth observation data; TensorScience, a geocaching smartphone application that recently won the GSA’s Geekie Award; and +39, an app for guiding children with autism that won the Galileo Hackathon in Padua.  

“What each of these presentations make abundantly clear is that the not-so-distant future will be defined by interconnectivity – and enabled by European space technology,” concluded Redelkiewicz.

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 oceans represent 90% of the Earth’s biosphere and are essential to a range of economic activities with over 90% of world trade travelling via maritime routes. The oceans also play a central role in regulating the Earth’s climate. Global observation and monitoring systems are therefore essential to better manage the oceans and to achieve a sustainable blue economy. A dedicated session at EU Space Week on 6 December highlighted how the Galileo and Copernicus programmes contribute to the sustainable management of our oceans and provide support for maritime operations.

The half-day session addressed a wide range of aspects including safety at sea, search and rescue, optimised maritime transport, sustainable fisheries, renewable energies, security and society’s response to pollution.
EU seas – safe & clean

The 6 December session was chaired by Fabienne Jacq from the European Commission and the initial speakers outlined the overall context in which the EU space programmes operate. Helena Ramon Jarraud from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) described their mission “to ensure that EU’s seas were safe and clean.” The agency faces many challenges from people trafficking to illegal fishing and ensuring safety of navigation. All aspects were aided and new services enabled by the support provided from EGNSS and Copernicus systems.

This view was supported by Pierre Bahurel, Director General of Mercator Ocean International that operates the Copernicus Marine Service (CMS). His talk focused on the ocean challenges relating to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in particular SDG 14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. CMS delivered “a complete ocean information portfolio that is free, open and assessed” that both helped protect the oceans and enabled the sustainable realisation of marine and maritime jobs and growth.

The policy context of the EU space programmes was further developed by Elisabeth Hamdouch of DG GROW. “The marine environmental and maritime challenges are beautiful examples of how EU space programmes could add value by making useful tools available on an open and free basis for many different users,” she said.

Space as a tool supporting the EU’s energy package was praised by Adam Candy from Delft Technical University. He described the BlueRise project developing Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion technology as an appropriate renewable energy source for coastal and island communities. Space-based systems provided “the information to both understand the resource potential for the system – i.e. where to locate it - and also its local environmental impact,” he said.

Maritime safety

The opportunity for EGNOS to provide safer and cost-effective navigation safety in French coastal regions was described by Etienne Leroy of CEREMA, which has developed and tested an EGNOS-based solution for the French Differential GPS (DGPS) network. This is part of the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities - World Wide Radio Navigation Plan.

The French network of seven coastal stations needs to be modernised – could EGNOS provide a cost-effective solution? CEREMA made some initial tests and found that EGNOS augmenting GPS could provide the necessary availability, continuity and accuracy levels, without impacting the independent integrity scheme. In addition, cost analysis showed that the EGNOS solution offered a greatly reduced capital requirement and reduced maintenance costs.

An official commission for the establishment of the first operational French station is now anticipated in early 2019 with more stations to be equipped during the year.

The ability of the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service to accelerate the detection of an incident and give more precise, life-saving positioning data was highlighted by Alain Bouhet from OROLIA Maritime. His company had led the GSA-funded HELIOS project to commercialise Galileo SAR enabled maritime and aviation distress beacons. The project had enabled certification for one aviation and two marine distress beacons and the first Galileo-enabled Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), launched in March 2018.

The use of the Galileo SAR service within the global SAR satellite system is already significantly improving the speed of response and the accuracy and reliability of SAR operations. “Galileo offers global coverage with near instantaneous detection and location,” said Bouhet.

“Response times are up to ten times faster.” And the unique Galileo return communications link from the SAR operator to the beacon ensures that victims know that the distress alarm has been received- and enables better survival decisions to be made.

Tethered drone

A further example of the potential of EGNSS and Earth Observation systems to combine to boost safety at sea was exemplified by Ricardo Rossi of Gruppo Sistematica who described the SARA project. This used a fusion of sensors and space technologies to improve surveillance operations at sea using a tethered drone acting as a ‘virtual pylon’ on the ship.

The drone is a semi-autonomous platform to aid search and rescue and surveillance using high EGNSS accuracy. The system enables cost-effective and extended surveillance that is reliable and fast to deploy. A proof of concept exercise has been undertaken with the Italian coastguard in the Bay of Naples using a low-resolution thermal camera to detect people in the water.

“Using a tether has a number of advantages,” claimed Rossi. “Including the ability to provide power for a continuous service and a continuous high-speed data link.” It is also a mechanical aid for landing the drone and ensures that the flight envelope of the drone is physically constrained, which eases issues around authorisation.

As well as SAR services a number of additional markets were foreseen for the device including border control, law enforcement, military applications and event or traffic management.

SAR demo

Earlier in EU Space Week, a press event introduced the media to the capabilities of EU space technologies in the maritime arena. On the morning of Tuesday 4 December, the GSA joined forces with the European Commission, the French Space Agency CNES, and the French naval authorities to highlight the various distress situations that can occur at sea and how Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are helping.

Demonstrations included briefings on the new Galileo SAR distress beacons and the SAR service itself as well as the Copernicus Maritime Security Service. An actual demonstration of the system at sea had to be cancelled at the last moment as the naval vessel and aircraft to be used were called away to a real-life emergency off the coast of Corsica, demonstrating that the Galileo SAR is fully operational and ready for action!

"This Search and Rescue operation demonstrated how beacons using the Galileo SAR service help to provide a faster and more efficient response for those in distress,” said Carlo des Dorides, GSA Executive Director. “With Galileo, a person in trouble can now be detected in less than 10 minutes. Today more than 500 million users are benefiting from a wide range Galileo services – and helping to save lives is one of them.”

Commenting on the event, European Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska said: “The EU invests in space activities to protect its citizens. Thanks to our space programmes, we can provide help to those who need it faster and in a more efficient way. EU space programmes are helping to save lives.”

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 oceans represent 90% of the Earth’s biosphere and are essential to a range of economic activities with over 90% of world trade travelling via maritime routes. The oceans also play a central role in regulating the Earth’s climate. Global observation and monitoring systems are therefore essential to better manage the oceans and to achieve a sustainable blue economy. A dedicated session at EU Space Week on 6 December highlighted how the Galileo and Copernicus programmes contribute to the sustainable management of our oceans and provide support for maritime operations.

The half-day session addressed a wide range of aspects including safety at sea, search and rescue, optimised maritime transport, sustainable fisheries, renewable energies, security and society’s response to pollution.
EU seas – safe & clean

The 6 December session was chaired by Fabienne Jacq from the European Commission and the initial speakers outlined the overall context in which the EU space programmes operate. Helena Ramon Jarraud from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) described their mission “to ensure that EU’s seas were safe and clean.” The agency faces many challenges from people trafficking to illegal fishing and ensuring safety of navigation. All aspects were aided and new services enabled by the support provided from EGNSS and Copernicus systems.

This view was supported by Pierre Bahurel, Director General of Mercator Ocean International that operates the Copernicus Marine Service (CMS). His talk focused on the ocean challenges relating to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in particular SDG 14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. CMS delivered “a complete ocean information portfolio that is free, open and assessed” that both helped protect the oceans and enabled the sustainable realisation of marine and maritime jobs and growth.

The policy context of the EU space programmes was further developed by Elisabeth Hamdouch of DG GROW. “The marine environmental and maritime challenges are beautiful examples of how EU space programmes could add value by making useful tools available on an open and free basis for many different users,” she said.

Space as a tool supporting the EU’s energy package was praised by Adam Candy from Delft Technical University. He described the BlueRise project developing Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion technology as an appropriate renewable energy source for coastal and island communities. Space-based systems provided “the information to both understand the resource potential for the system – i.e. where to locate it - and also its local environmental impact,” he said.

Maritime safety

The opportunity for EGNOS to provide safer and cost-effective navigation safety in French coastal regions was described by Etienne Leroy of CEREMA, which has developed and tested an EGNOS-based solution for the French Differential GPS (DGPS) network. This is part of the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities - World Wide Radio Navigation Plan.

The French network of seven coastal stations needs to be modernised – could EGNOS provide a cost-effective solution? CEREMA made some initial tests and found that EGNOS augmenting GPS could provide the necessary availability, continuity and accuracy levels, without impacting the independent integrity scheme. In addition, cost analysis showed that the EGNOS solution offered a greatly reduced capital requirement and reduced maintenance costs.

An official commission for the establishment of the first operational French station is now anticipated in early 2019 with more stations to be equipped during the year.

The ability of the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service to accelerate the detection of an incident and give more precise, life-saving positioning data was highlighted by Alain Bouhet from OROLIA Maritime. His company had led the GSA-funded HELIOS project to commercialise Galileo SAR enabled maritime and aviation distress beacons. The project had enabled certification for one aviation and two marine distress beacons and the first Galileo-enabled Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), launched in March 2018.

The use of the Galileo SAR service within the global SAR satellite system is already significantly improving the speed of response and the accuracy and reliability of SAR operations. “Galileo offers global coverage with near instantaneous detection and location,” said Bouhet.

“Response times are up to ten times faster.” And the unique Galileo return communications link from the SAR operator to the beacon ensures that victims know that the distress alarm has been received- and enables better survival decisions to be made.

Tethered drone

A further example of the potential of EGNSS and Earth Observation systems to combine to boost safety at sea was exemplified by Ricardo Rossi of Gruppo Sistematica who described the SARA project. This used a fusion of sensors and space technologies to improve surveillance operations at sea using a tethered drone acting as a ‘virtual pylon’ on the ship.

The drone is a semi-autonomous platform to aid search and rescue and surveillance using high EGNSS accuracy. The system enables cost-effective and extended surveillance that is reliable and fast to deploy. A proof of concept exercise has been undertaken with the Italian coastguard in the Bay of Naples using a low-resolution thermal camera to detect people in the water.

“Using a tether has a number of advantages,” claimed Rossi. “Including the ability to provide power for a continuous service and a continuous high-speed data link.” It is also a mechanical aid for landing the drone and ensures that the flight envelope of the drone is physically constrained, which eases issues around authorisation.

As well as SAR services a number of additional markets were foreseen for the device including border control, law enforcement, military applications and event or traffic management.

SAR demo

Earlier in EU Space Week, a press event introduced the media to the capabilities of EU space technologies in the maritime arena. On the morning of Tuesday 4 December, the GSA joined forces with the European Commission, the French Space Agency CNES, and the French naval authorities to highlight the various distress situations that can occur at sea and how Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are helping.

Demonstrations included briefings on the new Galileo SAR distress beacons and the SAR service itself as well as the Copernicus Maritime Security Service. An actual demonstration of the system at sea had to be cancelled at the last moment as the naval vessel and aircraft to be used were called away to a real-life emergency off the coast of Corsica, demonstrating that the Galileo SAR is fully operational and ready for action!

"This Search and Rescue operation demonstrated how beacons using the Galileo SAR service help to provide a faster and more efficient response for those in distress,” said Carlo des Dorides, GSA Executive Director. “With Galileo, a person in trouble can now be detected in less than 10 minutes. Today more than 500 million users are benefiting from a wide range Galileo services – and helping to save lives is one of them.”

Commenting on the event, European Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska said: “The EU invests in space activities to protect its citizens. Thanks to our space programmes, we can provide help to those who need it faster and in a more efficient way. EU space programmes are helping to save lives.”

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 oceans represent 90% of the Earth’s biosphere and are essential to a range of economic activities with over 90% of world trade travelling via maritime routes. The oceans also play a central role in regulating the Earth’s climate. Global observation and monitoring systems are therefore essential to better manage the oceans and to achieve a sustainable blue economy. A dedicated session at EU Space Week on 6 December highlighted how the Galileo and Copernicus programmes contribute to the sustainable management of our oceans and provide support for maritime operations.

The half-day session addressed a wide range of aspects including safety at sea, search and rescue, optimised maritime transport, sustainable fisheries, renewable energies, security and society’s response to pollution.
EU seas – safe & clean

The 6 December session was chaired by Fabienne Jacq from the European Commission and the initial speakers outlined the overall context in which the EU space programmes operate. Helena Ramon Jarraud from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) described their mission “to ensure that EU’s seas were safe and clean.” The agency faces many challenges from people trafficking to illegal fishing and ensuring safety of navigation. All aspects were aided and new services enabled by the support provided from EGNSS and Copernicus systems.

This view was supported by Pierre Bahurel, Director General of Mercator Ocean International that operates the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS). His talk focused on the ocean challenges relating to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in particular SDG 14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. CMEMS delivered “a complete ocean information portfolio that is free, open and assessed” that both helped protect the oceans and enabled the sustainable realisation of marine and maritime jobs and growth.

The policy context of the EU space programmes was further developed by Elisabeth Hamdouch of DG GROW. “The marine environmental and maritime challenges are beautiful examples of how EU space programmes could add value by making useful tools available on an open and free basis for many different users,” she said.

Space as a tool supporting the EU’s energy package was praised by Adam Candy from Delft Technical University. He described the BlueRise project developing Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion technology as an appropriate renewable energy source for coastal and island communities. Space-based systems provided “the information to both understand the resource potential for the system – i.e. where to locate it - and also its local environmental impact,” he said.

Maritime safety

The opportunity for EGNOS to provide safer and cost-effective navigation safety in French coastal regions was described by Etienne Leroy of CEREMA, which has developed and tested an EGNOS-based solution for the French Differential GPS (DGPS) network. This is part of the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities - World Wide Radio Navigation Plan.

The French network of seven coastal stations needs to be modernised – could EGNOS provide a cost-effective solution? CEREMA made some initial tests and found that EGNOS augmenting GPS could provide the necessary availability, continuity and accuracy levels, without impacting the independent integrity scheme. In addition, cost analysis showed that the EGNOS solution offered a greatly reduced capital requirement and reduced maintenance costs.

An official commission for the establishment of the first operational French station is now anticipated in early 2019 with more stations to be equipped during the year.

The ability of the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service to accelerate the detection of an incident and give more precise, life-saving positioning data was highlighted by Alain Bouhet from OROLIA Maritime. His company had led the GSA-funded HELIOS project to commercialise Galileo SAR enabled maritime and aviation distress beacons. The project had enabled certification for one aviation and two marine distress beacons and the first Galileo-enabled Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), launched in March 2018.

The use of the Galileo SAR service within the global SAR satellite system is already significantly improving the speed of response and the accuracy and reliability of SAR operations. “Galileo offers global coverage with near instantaneous detection and location,” said Bouhet.

“Response times are up to ten times faster.” And the unique Galileo return communications link from the SAR operator to the beacon ensures that victims know that the distress alarm has been received- and enables better survival decisions to be made.

Tethered drone

A further example of the potential of EGNSS and Earth Observation systems to combine to boost safety at sea was exemplified by Ricardo Rossi of Gruppo Sistematica who described the SARA project. This used a fusion of sensors and space technologies to improve surveillance operations at sea using a tethered drone acting as a ‘virtual pylon’ on the ship.

The drone is a semi-autonomous platform to aid search and rescue and surveillance using high EGNSS accuracy. The system enables cost-effective and extended surveillance that is reliable and fast to deploy. A proof of concept exercise has been undertaken with the Italian coastguard in the Bay of Naples using a low-resolution thermal camera to detect people in the water.

“Using a tether has a number of advantages,” claimed Rossi. “Including the ability to provide power for a continuous service and a continuous high-speed data link.” It is also a mechanical aid for landing the drone and ensures that the flight envelope of the drone is physically constrained, which eases issues around authorisation.

As well as SAR services a number of additional markets were foreseen for the device including border control, law enforcement, military applications and event or traffic management.

SAR demo

Earlier in EU Space Week, a press event introduced the media to the capabilities of EU space technologies in the maritime arena. On the morning of Tuesday 4 December, the GSA joined forces with the European Commission, the French Space Agency CNES, and the French naval authorities to highlight the various distress situations that can occur at sea and how Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus are helping.

Demonstrations included briefings on the new Galileo SAR distress beacons and the SAR service itself as well as the Copernicus Maritime Security Service. An actual demonstration of the system at sea had to be cancelled at the last moment as the naval vessel and aircraft to be used were called away to a real-life emergency off the coast of Corsica, demonstrating that the Galileo SAR is fully operational and ready for action!

"This Search and Rescue operation demonstrated how beacons using the Galileo SAR service help to provide a faster and more efficient response for those in distress,” said Carlo des Dorides, GSA Executive Director. “With Galileo, a person in trouble can now be detected in less than 10 minutes. Today more than 500 million users are benefiting from a wide range Galileo services – and helping to save lives is one of them.”

Commenting on the event, European Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska said: “The EU invests in space activities to protect its citizens. Thanks to our space programmes, we can provide help to those who need it faster and in a more efficient way. EU space programmes are helping to save lives.”

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).