The European Commission unveiled its new EU Space Act, aiming to establish an ambitious set of regulations for the development and safeguarding of the space sector within the European Union amid increasing competition in the space sector.
“A space revolution is coming. The 21st century will be the century of space. Europe needs to be at the forefront. Let us embark on this extraordinary journey for our autonomy, resilience and competitiveness,” said Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space.
The EU Space Act is an attempt by the EU to unify legislation to foster investment and innovation. Currently, various national approaches exist in the aerospace sector, and the Commission hopes that providing clear guidelines will help the sector grow across the bloc.
“Europe’s leadership in space must be rooted in sovereignty, security, and strategic foresight,” said Vice-President for Tech Henna Virkkunen, presenting the new law.
One of the central tenets of the EU Space Act will be security, both in terms of safety from satellite-related issues and security from cyberattacks on space infrastructures. Virkkunen said that this is “a bold step to ensure that our space infrastructure is resilient, our innovation ecosystem is empowered, and our autonomy in critical technologies is secured.”
On satellites, the new framework introduces new methods for tracking space objects, such as satellites, and establishes new requirements for the disposal of satellites after they are no longer operational. Recent estimates expect 50,000 new satellites in orbit over the next decade, in addition to the 11,000 already in orbit. This creates an added risk of possible collisions, not to mention it adds to the more than 128 million pieces of debris already in orbit. New safeguards will be implemented to limit the creation of space debris.
A contested space is also a potentially dangerous one, with an increased risk of cyberattacks against satellites and ground stations, leading to potential disruption across the EU. The Space Act will require space operators to enhance their risk assessment protocols with a revamped incident reporting system tailored to the space sector.
The EU Space Act will now proceed through the standard legislative process. However, the Commission is motivated to push for a new framework in the space sector and will continue to set up new initiatives to ameliorate the European sector. Among others, it plans to establish a forum with sector stakeholders. It will maintain close cooperation with the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and other investors in the space sector.
