Safety, resilience and sustainability of space activities in the Union

PURPOSE: to create an EU Space Act to boost market access and strengthen space safety.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: space activities are quickly expanding worldwide, spurred by a growing demand for space-based data and space services and by a reduction in the cost of satellite manufacturing and launching. To flank this expansion in space activities and the growing involvement of new commercial actors in cross-border space activities, 13 Member States have passed national space legislations. This reflects international law commitments requiring supervision of space activities. The resulting patchwork of regulatory approaches is leading to a fragmented internal market. This fragmentation is likely to increase as more Member States plan to set up legal frameworks for space activities.

Disparities in national approaches to protecting the safety, resilience and environmental sustainability of space infrastructure can adversely impact the provision of space-based data and space services in the Union. This ultimately affects the competitiveness of the space industry in the Union and the functioning of cross-border value chains.

Furthermore, the political guidelines for the European Commission 2024-2029, as well as the Draghi report on the future of European competitiveness, identify space as a key strategic sector for the Union and recommend establishing a common Union legislative framework for a functioning internal market for space, in the short-term.

CONTENT: the proposed regulation lays down rules for the establishment and functioning of the internal market of space-based data and space services. It intends to cut red tape, protect space assets, and create a fair, predictable playing field for businesses.

The proposal aims to:

- establish a Union legal framework for the provision of space-based data and space services by Union space operators to foster innovation and create a stable, predictable and competitive business environment;

- ensure the trackability of space objects and reduce the generation of space debris, thereby enhancing the safety of space activities;

- create a risk assessment framework that is tailored to the specific cybersecurity needs of space infrastructure, thereby enhancing the resilience of space activities;

- create a common method for calculating the environmental impact of space activities in the Union, thereby enhancing the sustainability of space activities.

The proposal is expected to provide the legal certainty needed by the Union space operators to carry out space activities and foster the competitiveness of the space industry, while addressing the risks arising from the exponential growth in space activities and safeguarding the long-term use of space.

Moreover, to achieve a high common level of safety, resilience and environmental sustainability of space services through the operation and use of space infrastructure generating space-based data, the proposal lays down harmonised rules on:

- the authorisation, registration and supervision of space activities carried out by space services providers established in the Union, and respectively, registration and supervision of space activities carried out by international organisations and space services providers established in third countries when providing space-based data or space services in the Union, with respect to matters of safety, resilience and environmental sustainability of space activities;

- orbit traffic management rules, through the provision of collision avoidance services;

- governance and enforcement aspects;

- establishment of a Union Space Label and capacity-building measures.