The Commission presented a report on the implementation of the space surveillance and tracking (SST) support framework (2014-2017).
Background to the report: Europe is set to have 40 Galileo and Copernicus satellites in space by 2020 and around 12% of the worlds satellites. It therefore has a vital interest in ensuring that its space assets and services can be launched and operated safely.
In 2008, the Council underlined the need to develop a European capability for the monitoring and surveillance of European space infrastructure and of space debris. The EUs initial response was to establish a European Union space surveillance and tracking (EU SST) capability by means of Decision No 541/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for space surveillance and tracking support (the SST Decision).
Results and impacts: the main conclusion of the report is that the framework delivered results as regards the establishment and operation of EU SST functions and actions. However, given the relatively short timeframe of the EU SST operations, it is not yet possible to identify socio-economic impacts.
The main achievements of the framework can be summarised as follows:
Effectiveness: the report noted that the framework facilitated setting up the initial EU SST capability toward the general objective of ensuring the long-term sustainability of European space infrastructure and services. Since EU SST operations began, NOCs have provided collision warnings and there have been no catastrophic incidents involving registered spacecraft, including EU satellites. Re-entry events have been monitored and reported. The enlargement of the SST Consortium and execution of SST grants as of end 2017 was on track.
Despite these achievements, the EU SST has yet to improve its performance and autonomy. The EU SST functions as a sum of national capabilities, with different national databases and varying service level, and economies of scale and avoiding unnecessary duplications have yet to realise. The EU SST services does not cover space hazards over the entire life-cycle of spacecraft missions from launch to disposal, which however threaten the long-term sustainability of European space infrastructure and services. Moreover, the framework does not define actions or provide means to facilitate exploring potential synergies with other segments of space situational awareness (space weather and near-Earth objects) and has yet to create leverage on the international scene as the capability develops.
In terms of European added value, the SST support framework has given Member States an incentive to cooperate in this nationally sensitive area and has helped to increase transparency and build confidence.
It contributes to making OSH services accessible to European users and is a first step towards the future development of a certain level of European autonomy in SST.
Recommendations for the future: the Commission considers that the following operational milestones would facilitate achievement of the overall objective of helping to ensure the long-term sustainability of European space infrastructure and services: