VIDEO ON DEMAND

New EU Space Agency Emphasizes Security and Investment

Originally aired on: April 19, 2023

Rodrigo Da Costa, executive director of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), discusses the creation of the EU’s new space initiative with a renewed focus on innovation and investment.

“There is a lot of ambition for space in the European Union, space that is focused on utilization,” Da Costa said. “And I have to say we are quite proud of the fact that we have significant investments. The EU is now investing more in space than we ever have done in the past.”

The new EU Programme, started in 2021, now operates the Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) satellite systems. Da Costa explains that EUSPA works in three domains: exploitation, security, and market development/communications.

In this context, “exploitation” signifies using satellite systems, space surveillance, and managing 24/7 operations in space. Security, in the governmental realm, involves security accreditation, engineering, and implementation of the EU Space Strategy for Security and Defense. The market development domain includes managing billions of dollars in investments, funding innovative technologies, and identifying growth potential.

Speaker

Rodrigo da Costa