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    Europe’s space tracking program sees growing support, interest

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    Europe’s space tracking program sees growing support, interest

    European Union Expands Leadership in Global Space Traffic Management Initiative

    MAUI — As the U.S. Commerce Department’s Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) navigates bureaucratic uncertainty, representatives from both sides of the Atlantic at this week’s AMOS conference announced that the European Union is increasingly assumed to steer policy, standards, and licensing frameworks for safety protocols governing satellite operators globally. Though TraCSS may retain viability in the long term, participants highlighted burgeoning curiosity toward the EU’s complementary dual‑use program, the Space Surveillance and Tracking Partnership (EU SST). A senior EU official reported that approximately 95 percent of satellite operators based in Europe already take part in the partnership’s data exchanges and benefit from automated collision‑avoidance protections. Moreover, the EU’s drafting legislation on space operations would obligate every company developing satellites intended for European markets to certify active participation. EU SST teams have maintained ongoing dialogues with the U.S. Commerce and Defense branches to prevent regulatory clashes, leveraging the AMOS summit as a recurring venue for cooperation. Nevertheless, unresolved questions surrounding TraCSS’ future have thrown off recent coordination activities. In June, Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Luxembourg joined the EU SST, bringing the consortium’s membership to 19 European governments. The expansion elevated the pool of supporters from five members at launch in 2016 to fifteen additional nations, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. Funding flows to the effort come from contributor nations, the EU’s 2021‑2027 budget, and various transnational financial instruments. Although the EU SST division refrains from publishing precise fiscal reports, officials expect heightened appropriations within the subsequent 2028‑2034 spending period, as European defense establishments intensify focus on sovereign space capabilities. Built around roughly seventy radars and telescopes stationed across partner states—much of which originates from national militaries—the program intends to ultimately equalize military‑civilian governmental sensors with commercial platforms, according to a seasoned EU representative. At present, eight private providers deliver space‑situational‑awareness data to the EU SST network, generating contract revenues approaching $700 million for the current fiscal year. Additionally, EU and EU SST authorities are driving rapid scaling of European firms equipped to construct and operate tracking sensors, produce spatial data, and furnish services to operators through structured funding pathways involving co‑funding arrangements. One illustration is a tiered grant scheme embedded within Europe’s Horizon Europe programme targeting cutting‑edge space‑tracking technologies; the 2026‑2027 workplan earmarks about £55 million (≈$63 million) across three distinct grant categories. The EU Industry and Start‑ups Forum on Space Traffic Management convenes upwards of 100 commercial tracking businesses biannually alongside program officials, examining prospects for network growth and industrial sustainability. The latest gathering took place in March. An official scheduled to celebrate the partnership on October, cited Pascal Faucher, chair of the EU SST Alliance, who remarked, “We can proudly reflect on achievements: delivering collision avoidance assistance to over 100 operators spanning forty nations, fostering robust cooperation among nineteen EU member states, and nurturing an innovative competitive SSA industry across Europe. Our collective effort has produced a world‑class SSA system over the past decade.” “Moving forward, continued collaboration with member states, EU institutions, and industry stakeholders will enable us to pursue our ultimate objective of strategic autonomy,” further commented Mr. Faucher in correspondence with Breaking Defense.

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