Faced with more saturated space traffic than ever and the multiplication of the amount of debris around the globe, a new mission has been entrusted to the European Union Agency for the Space Program since July 1.
190 organizations involved
Following a decision by the European Commission on June 3, 2022, Euspa (European Union Agency for the Space Programme), the European Union Agency for the Space Program, has been responsible since July 1 for the operation of the SST reception (Space Surveillance and Tracking – Space surveillance and tracking of objects in orbit), in order to provide the interface with users of SST services.
These SST services are accessible to 190 registered organisations, including spacecraft owners and operators, institutions and the 15 EU Member States.
Preserving crucial services
This is to contribute to the coordination of space traffic, by protecting more than 400 satellites against the risk of collision with space debris or other operational satellites.
In particular, the aim is to preserve the integrity of EU-owned operational satellites and associated services, such as Copernicus (for Earth observation), Egnos and Galileo (for navigation), whose failures could have far-reaching consequences for European citizens, the economy and society.
This article is originally published on air-cosmos.com