EU SST community gathers to mark 10 years of space safety and sustainability services

Today, representatives from the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EU SST) Partnership, the EU SST Front Desk and SST users and partners are meeting in Brussels to celebrate 10 years of EU SST operations, in an event organised by the European Commission (DG DEFIS).

The event "10 years of space safety and sustainability made in the EU" brings together EU institutions, Member States, industry and user communities to reflect on ten years of space safety service provision.

Since its services became operational on 1 July 2016, the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EU SST) has evolved into a cornerstone of the EU's space safety capabilities. Today's anniversary event offers an opportunity to look back at a decade of achievements and contributions towards space safety and sustainability in an increasingly congested orbital environment.

What started as a collaborative effort among a few countries is now part of the EU Space Programme. EU SST, currently implemented by a partnership of 19 EU Member States in cooperation with EUSPA, provides operational services that help protect over 700 satellites from collisions and monitor fragmentation and re-entry events. Behind this success lies a simple idea: turning EU's space surveillance and tracking capabilities into actionable information and services for users.

Supporting safer operations in orbit

The need for space surveillance and tracking services has never been greater. With thousands of active satellites in orbit and the number of space objects continuing to grow, users require reliable information to anticipate and mitigate risks

EU SST supports this effort through three services:

1. Collision Avoidance,
2. Fragmentation Analysis and
3. Re-entry Analysis.

EU SST Front Desk: the gateway to EU SST services

Over 400 organisations worldwide rely on EU SST's information and data to make decisions that keep their assets safe. Managed by EUSPA, the EU SST Front Desk serves as their entry point to EU SST, providing a single interface through which users can access the services generated by the EU SST Partnership.

The Front Desk connects users with a unique network of sensors, operations centres and experts working around the clock to monitor the space environment, ensuring that information reaches users in a way that is accessible, responsive and operationally relevant.

At the event opening, Philippe Rosius, Head of EUSPA's Situational Awareness Department, highlighted that the Front Desk embodies the collective strength of EU SST, bringing together the expertise and capabilities of the EU SST Partnership and EUSPA to provide coordinated support to users worldwide.

"Over the past ten years, EU SST has demonstrated the value of European cooperation in protecting space assets and supporting the sustainable use of space. Through the EU SST Front Desk, EUSPA provides satellite operators with seamless access to EU SST services, drawing on the collective expertise of the EU SST Partnership to enhance space safety for users and citizens." stated EUSPA Executive Director Rodrigo da Costa, commenting on the anniversary.

Feedback from the user community

The impact of EU SST is best reflected by the organisations that use its services every day. Carlos González, SST and SATCOM operations responsible at Hisdesat, a long-time user of the EU SST Collision Avoidance service, commented about the EU SST Front Desk: "Since 2016, the EU SST Front Desk has supported Hisdesat's SST operations, ensuring smooth service delivery and high quality across all missions. What makes this partnership unique is the Front Desk's remarkable flexibility, especially, but not only, during our LEO satellite mission, PAZ. When we raised specific requests to facilitate PAZ's conjunctions management, they listened to us and did their best to meet our exact requirements. Over time, this collaboration has become a true alliance."

Ten years of cooperation, one shared objective

The event highlighted a defining feature of EU SST: cooperation. By combining national capabilities under a common EU framework, EU SST has created a capability that delivers tangible benefits to users while strengthening the EU's strategic autonomy in space.

Looking ahead, EU SST will continue adapting to an increasingly complex orbital environment, expanding its capabilities and supporting the responsible use of space.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website.