When space is at the service of European autonomous decision-making and action . This is the objective of a potential new service to be made available to EU Member States and the EU in the next EU multi-annual financial framework (2028-2034): EOGS, Earth Observation Governmental Service. Concretely, this new European service aims to support Member States and the EU in the area of security and defence..
To identify the best implementation options for EOGS, the Commission signs today two contracts for competing and parallel feasibility studies. One to be led by Telespazio, the Italian-French leader in the field of satellite services, and the other by OHB System, the German space systems provider. These European companies are the two winners of the call for tenders published by the Commission in June 2023. Telespazio and OHB System will start their activities in the first quarter of 2024 for one year. The goal is to assess the most promising technical and programmatic options for the development and operation of the EOGS. Moreover, achieving synergies with European and national systems, and with other relevant initiatives (e.g. EDF and PESCO projects), while avoiding unnecessary duplications, is a key aspect of these studies.
The EU Space strategy for security and defence has proposed to work towards the gradual set-up of such a service. Starting this year, a pilot project will test a preliminary service and build a governance that Member States can trust. This pilot will be implemented by the EU Satellite Centre within Copernicus, with the involvement of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA).
Details
- Publication date
- 23 January 2024