New & improved EUSST Missions and Services

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Expected Outcomes:

This Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) topic contributes to ensuring full and optimal capacity of the EUSST Partnership once the latter is set up. Its outcomes are expected to build on previous and ongoing actions and aim at achieving full capacity of the EUSST Partnership by end 2024.

In the coming years, an increase in the number of active objects in orbit is foreseen (e.g. deployment of mega-constellations, increased number of non-manoeuvrable small objects – SmallSats for research and scientific purposes, etc.). Additionally, the number of objects (active and inactive) to be handled by SST systems will also increase due to the use of sensors with a higher detection capability. For example, the U.S. Space Fence radar, declared operational in March 2020, is capable of detecting and tracking objects smaller than 10 centimetres and is expected to considerably increase the size of the space objects catalogue of the US Space Surveillance Network.

Consequently, the provision of services by the EUSST operation centres, as well as the strategy to protect active European satellites have to be adapted to these new challenges and needs to strengthen European autonomy in the SST field. The need for the development of automated concepts becomes more relevant in order to reduce response times, reduce costs and simplify coordination activities amongst operators.

Therefore, R&I projects on “new and improved EUSST missions and services” are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Keep EU knowledge and capabilities in the Space Surveillance and Tracking domain at the leading edge.
• Adapt, improve and evolve the current EUSST initial services (Collision Avoidance; Fragmentation; Re-entry) portfolio in line with future user needs and the space environment.
• Improve the overall performance of the EUSST services and ensure, in the long-term, a high level of performance and appropriate autonomy at Union level.
• Identify and define new missions and services, for example (non-exhaustive list):

1. debris mitigation;
2. debris remediation;
3. potential hazardous objects identification;
4. potential synergies with other EU Space Programme components (e.g. current and future Galileo services; Data authentication mechanism; timing service; High Accuracy Service, etc.);
5. inter-orbit RFI anticipation;
6. post-manoeuvre analysis;
7. support to EOL operation;
8. etc.

• Explore the implementation of new services, in complementation to the three existing ones.
• Support pre-developments and end-to-end early demonstration of new SST services.

Scope:

This SST topic contributes to ensuring full and optimal capacity of the EUSST Partnership once the latter is set up. Its scope is expected to build on previous and ongoing actions and aims at achieving full capacity of the EUSST Partnership by end 2024.

R&I activities which need to be addressed in order to tackle the above expected outcomes are:

1. R&I on evolution of the Collision Avoidance service towards a higher responsiveness in case of risks (e.g. Automatic warning service), and in all phases of the spacecraft life (e.g. deorbiting, EOL, etc.);
2. R&I on evolution of the EUSST system for debris mitigation in order to reduce the generation of space debris;
3. R&I on evolution of the EUSST system for space debris remediation by managing existing space debris.
4. R&I on evolution of the EUSST Service Provision Portal in line with the evolution of existing services (CA, RE, FG) and the inclusion of new ones (e.g. debris mitigation / remediation).

As the legal entities (the “Constituting National Entities“) identified below are bodies designated by Member States, under their responsibility, to participate in the SST Partnership within the meaning of Articles 56 & 57 of the “Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the space programme of the Union and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme”, and under the same Regulation (EU) 2021/696 the Member States are identified as beneficiaries, this grant is awarded without a call for proposals in accordance with Article 195(d) of the EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046 and Article 20 of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme and Rules for Participation.

In this action the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

Implementation: Research and Innovation Action (RIA).

Note: specific conditions apply to this action.