The European Union Agency for the Space Programme, EUSPA, is launched today marking the start of a new era for EU Space. Building on the legacy of the European GNSS Agency, EUSPA will take on more responsibilities to create even more opportunities from Space for EU citizens and its economy.
The adoption of the Regulation establishing the new EU Space Programme on April 27 marks a new beginning for the EU Space Programme and for the European GNSS Agency (GSA), which has now officially evolved into EUSPA, with an expanded mandate and new responsibilities.
What has changed?
Under the new Space Regulation, EUSPA’s mandate will now include increased responsibilities in managing the exploitation of Galileo and EGNOS, including their service provision and operational security. Furthermore, the Agency’s new remit includes coordinating the user-related aspects of GOVSATCOM in close collaboration with the Member States and other involved entities.
A new space agency launched in Europe today, taking the place of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and adding responsibilities to encourage Europe’s space enterprises.
The European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) marks the start of a new era for European Union space, according to an agency statement. EUSPA will build on the legacy of the GSA, which was established to promote use of Galileo and EGNOS, with additional responsibilities to create even more opportunities from space for European Union citizens and its economy.
An April 27 space regulation established EUSPA. Under the new space regulation, EUSPA’s mandate includes promoting Galileo and EGNOS, but with increased responsibilities, including their service provision and operational security. The agency also will coordinate the user-related aspects of government satellite communication in close collaboration with Member States and other entities.
On March 3 a Galileo Performance Workshop, open to anyone interested in GNSS and led by the European GNSS Agency (GSA), will offer an in-depth analysis of the performance of the Galileo constellation and signals and how they are evaluated for users.
Galileo Reference Center, Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Courtesy GSA.
The Galileo Reference Center (GRC) (short video here) has a primary mission of providing independent means to monitor and evaluate the performance of the Galileo services and the quality of the signals in space. The GRC is the European hub for such activities, integrating contributions from European national entities, such as research centers, timing laboratories, and national space agencies with its own functionality.