EU Space Policy

Latest news from the EU about European Space Policy

EU signs orders for new Galileo space satellites — 03 February 2012, 10:55 CET

The EU on Thursday signed contracts with German and French engineering firms to build and launch another eight satellites for its Europe's Galileo geopositioning system.

US joins effort to draw up space 'code of conduct' — 18 January 2012, 13:04 CET

The United States pledged Tuesday to join an EU-led effort to develop a space "code of conduct" that would set rules for orbiting spacecraft and for mitigating the growing problem of orbiting debris.

EU states angry over cuts of nuclear, satellite projects — 16 November 2011, 16:53 CET

Britain and a clutch of European Union states are protesting the removal from the EU budget of a next-generation nuclear reactor and an Earth observation satellite they consider vital for Europe.

EU announces launch date for first Galileo satellites — 23 May 2011, 20:44 CET

The European Union announced Monday it will launch the first two satellites in its long-delayed and hugely over-budget Galileo navigation system from French Guyana on October 20.

European Commission communication: Towards a space strategy for the European Union that benefits its citizens — 12 April 2011, 23:18 CET

Space policy is an instrument serving the EU's internal and external policies and responds to three types of needs: social, economic, and strategic. The space sector directly contributes to achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy, namely smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Space policy thus forms an integral part of the "Industrial Policy" flagship initiative and the Strategy calls on the Commission to strive "to develop an effective space policy to provide the tools to address some of the key global challenges and in particular to deliver Galileo and GMES".

EU issues urgent call to 21 states on satellite network — 17 February 2011, 22:31 CET

The European Commission has ordered 21 EU states to get their act together and meet a deadline to install a pan-European mobile satellite network under its broadband-for-all drive.

Galileo midterm review - guide — 21 January 2011, 00:13 CET

The European Commission presented its midterm review on the development of Europe’s satellite navigation programmes Galileo and EGNOS. Recent progress in the development of Galileo, including the signature of four major contracts and the testing of the first four operational satellites, means that the satellite navigation system will deliver initial services in 2014.

EGNOS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service — 01 October 2009, 16:51 CET

The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is a satellite-based augmentation system that improves the accuracy of satellite navigation signals over Europe. The accuracy of current GPS signals is improved from about ten metres to two metres. EGNOS is Europe’s first venture into satellite navigation.