Collision course: the race for Space Situational Awareness
Charles Galland
As the world turned its attention in February to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, where fractions of a second separate gold from silver in slalom, and flawless coordination ensures athletes’ safety in bobsleigh, another arena of precision and vigilance unfolds far above us; in orbit, where space objects travel at very high speeds, the margin for error is not measured in fractions of a second, but in metres between two objects on a collision course.
As the number of active orbital objects increase alongside the need for a more sustainable use of the space domain, timely and accurate Space Situational Awareness (SSA) data is becoming a valuable asset of strategic and economic significance. Yet, the global framework that underpins it is shifting.
In the United States, the Executive Order “Ensuring American Space Superiority” published last December turns to the idea of a fee-based Space Situational Awareness system to help foster a market for U.S. commercial SSA service providers. Under this model, satellite operators would pay for services (high-precision tracking, conjunction analysis, collision-avoidance etc.) that were previously offered for free.
At the same time, private actors are moving decisively into this domain, further accelerating the transformation of what was once a predominantly governmental function. For example, SpaceX recently announced that it has developed its own novel SSA system, called Stargaze, using images from star tracker cameras on its Starlink satellites to identify other objects in orbit.
These developments are not marginal. They redefine how transparency, safety, and strategic autonomy in orbit may be organised in the coming decade. And Europe, given its current over-reliance on U.S. data, cannot afford to remain a spectator in this transition.
In its new Position Paper “Support our ability to access and operate in space in a secure, safe and sustainable way”, Eurospace stresses that sustaining European strategic autonomy in space requires stable institutional demand to support the development of a competitive European SSA industrial base and foster a market-driven ecosystem for space safety services.
In this regard, the next European Union Multiannual Financial Framework provides an opportunity to significantly increase the budget allocated to the procurement of commercial SSA data through EUSST, the recognised central provider of collision avoidance services, while further supporting the deployment of more distributed and higher-performing Space Surveillance and Traffic (SST) capabilities.
But it should also support the emergence of a competitive European market for space safety services, enabling industry to develop and export SSA/SST solutions by encouraging the development of industrial enhanced SST services that address both institutional strategic needs and commercial demand, in addition to existing public services provided free of charge. This would fulfill the requirement for autonomous surveillance in line with European needs, while creating an anchor institutional market for European service and data providers and enhancing the overall effectiveness of SSA services for all European users.
Just as Olympic success relies on preparation, coordination and the right equipment, Europe’s future in orbit will depend on its ability to act with autonomy. In a domain where precision defines safety and sovereignty, Europe must compete, not watch from the stands.
Charles Galland is Policy Director at Eurospace, representing the European space industry at the heart of EU and ESA decision-making. He specialises in shaping space policy and fostering dialogue between institutions and industry.