The European Union is expanding its space situational awareness capabilities to ensure the region achieves “strategic autonomy” from U.S.-based space tracking providers, according to Pascal Faucher, chairman of the European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking partnership.
According to a Breaking Defense report, the official outlined in a speech at a recent University of Texas at Austin-sponsored event how his team aims to use off-the-shelf products to complement existing military sensors.
Faucher said EU SST is working to ensure that the military-designed sensors used for the initiative will also contribute to the space situational awareness expansion project. “We need to, of course, be smart and join forces, avoid unnecessary duplications, and maximize our investment in those capabilities for civil and defense,” he added.
The EU SST network, which comprises 15 member states, is composed of radars and telescopes used by 67 spacecraft operators worldwide, including firms based in Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
The latest initiative aligns with the European Union’s Space Situational Awareness program, which aims to maintain the region’s leadership in space while ensuring the safety of space operations and Europe’s space assets.