Space: A New Frontier for the EU-U.S. Partnership
Earth Observation: When EU’s Copernicus Helped U.S. First Responders
August 2017: the United States activates Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS) as hurricane Harvey approaches Texas. In just a matter of hours, a team working around the clock for EU’s Earth observation program prepared and delivered rapid mapping and imagery to U.S. first responders.
This data complemented U.S. imagery and helped U.S. authorities precisely identify geographical areas requiring emergency assistance. A few days and weeks later, the U.S. State Department asked the EU Delegation to activate Copernicus EMS once more as massive hurricanes Irma (Florida) and Maria (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin islands) were set to hit the U.S. again.
This cooperation was facilitated by an EU-U.S. agreement signed in October 2015. With those arrangements in place, the State Department knew exactly who to call (EU Delegation’s Space Counsellor) and no time was wasted in processing the request.
The Copernicus EMS became operational in 2012 and has been activated 80 times in 2017 by users worldwide, a record so far. Relying on cutting-edge EU “Sentinel” satellites and contributing missions from partner organizations, this new service assists public authorities in tackling natural and man-made disasters such as wildfires, floods, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis or even technological disasters. This service not only helps respond to ongoing disasters, but can also be used to provide warning assessments ahead of certain natural hazards, including landslides and earthquakes.
Copernicus EMS is only 1 of 6 core services offered by “EU’s eyes on Earth”. Other services include land, marine, climate change, atmospheric monitoring services, and a security component. Copernicus is capable of scrutinizing the Earth from a wide range of perspectives, and even more so with the backup of two additional satellites launched in 2017. Copernicus can for instance provide data on air quality, temperature variations, state of forests, and marine currents and waves. Copernicus can also be used by law enforcement for border management and maritime surveillance.
At the October 2017 Geo Week in Washington DC, the European Commission also announced the European contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), EuroGEOSS (primarily relying on Copernicus and Horizon 2020 space research). This initiative should accelerate the uptake of Earth observation applications around the globe.
In their report on “A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space (2018)” from January 2018, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicines stated that “the Europeans — ESA, EUMETSAT and the European Union (with its commitment to its Copernicus program) — have become strong and capable organizations, and have established international leadership in implementing sustained global Earth observations”.
Here’s a good wrap-up of Copernicus achievements in 2017.
Satellite Navigation: Combined GPS and Galileo Signals Offer Unprecedented Performance
The U.S. has been a world leader for decades when it comes to satellite navigation, with its Global Positioning System (GPS). Its open and free service has facilitated the development of a multitude of applications, particularly in areas such as transport, telecommunications and search-and-rescue operations.
In addition to its already existing European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) — a network of geostationary satellites, ground stations and control centers which increased the reliability and precision of GPS signals in Europe, primarily for the aviation and maritime sectors —, the EU now has its own global satnav system, Galileo, which became operational in December 2016. With 4 new satellites launched in December 2017, Galileo currently has 22 satellites in orbit with 8 more planned to complement the constellation over the next few years (4 new satellites are expected to be launched in 2018).
Galileo’s Open Service is already used by most new devices using satellite navigation signals, including smartphones. Although users may not be aware of exactly which signals they’re using, they will enjoy more accurate positioning with a combination of GPS and Galileo signals. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Science, Space and Health Jonathan Margolis said in our EU Now Podcast recorded on January 17, 2018, combined GPS and Galileo signals (enabled thanks to an EU-U.S. agreement signed in 2004) will not only allow a more precise geolocation horizontally, but also vertically. This means that it would now be possible to determine on which floor a user is located.
Galileo also has an encrypted service for government users and a Search-and-Rescue Service (SAR) which is integrated to the global COSPAS-SARSAT system (to which the GPS and the Russian GLONASS also contribute). Thanks to SAR, distress signals are localized in real-time and a return notification that help is on its way has been introduced. If you find yourself trapped in a crevasse on top of a mountain, knowing that first responders are coming to save you can bring immense comfort.
Earth observation and satellite navigation are the primary components of EU-U.S. space cooperation. Our shared principles of free and open access ensure an optimal use of space infrastructures, since they allow us to share and mutualize them. This in turns supports the resilience of our assets. But our partnership on space matters goes much beyond those fields.
Space Exploration: Transatlantic Cooperation leading up to the discovery of 7 “Earth-like” planets in 2017
There is also strong transatlantic cooperation when it comes to space exploration. Although Europeans have primarily addressed this dimension through the European Space Agency (an intergovernmental body that partners with NASA on the International Space Station, telescopes, robotic missions and many more research projects — and also plays a key role in EU’s space programs) and national space agencies (like CNES and DLR), the European Union also funds a large number of space exploration projects.
Michaël Gillon, the Belgian astronomer who led the international team working on the TRAPPIST-I project, is one of several astronomers who received a grant from EU’s European Research Council (ERC) under the Horizon 2020 program, the world’s largest public program for research and innovation. Using data from NASA and ESA telescopes, Gillon and his team discovered 7 “Earth-like” exoplanets, an extraordinary announcement made in 2017.
A few months later, in February 2018, Gillon announced that his EU-funded team of astronomers had discovered a large volume of water on several of these exoplanets. The announcement by EU’s European Research Council states that “focusing on the mass, radii, and first atmospheric constraints of the exoplanets, the latest findings confirm the terrestrial and globally rocky nature of the TRAPPIST-1 planets. They also suggest a high presence of water, up to five percent of their mass and about 250 times more than Earths Ocean”. This “set of new studies reveals the nature and composition of the planets, shedding light on their potential habitability”. Learn more about this discovery and the role of the ERC here.
Beyond Trappist-I, Horizon 2020 funds a large number of space projects that include mapping the Milky Way, studying the geology of Mars, analyzing the lifespan of sun-like stars, improving in-space electrical propulsion, supporting space robotics technologies, or developing new technologies when it comes to access to space and space weather. Some of those projects are open to international cooperation, including with the U.S.
Discover some of EU’s space featured research projects and the space component of Horizon 2020’s 2018 Work program.
From Earth observation to satellite navigation, space surveillance and tracking, space research and exploration, EU’s “technology and expertise make us a heavyweight on global space markets”, as stated by EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini in her opening remarks at the 10th edition of the Conference on European Space Policy conference in Brussels on January 23, 2018.
9th Edition of the EU-U.S. Space Dialogue (January 18, 2018)
To deepen EU-U.S. space cooperation further, the State Department hosted the 9th edition of the EU-U.S. Space Dialogue on January 18, 2018. Both sides discussed ways to enhance sustainability of Outer Space activities, the safety of space infrastructures (eg. collision warning, space weather, interference issues), space exploration ahead of an international forum to be hosted by Japan on March 3, 2018, space research, and recent developments in the field of satellite-navigation and Earth observation. They also noted that current cooperation arrangements in place had delivered beyond expectations and agreed to work together to improve their respective capabilities through joint research and joint exercises.
On the EU side, the delegation comprised representatives from the European Commission and the European External Action Service, but also ESA and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). Since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 which assigned a wide competence to the EU when it comes to space policy, the EU has successfully managed to rely on European competencies (ESA, national agencies, operators, industry) in this field and support the European industrial base. All European space actors work hand-in-hand, and also strengthen their partnerships with third countries, in particular with the U.S.
On the U.S. side, the delegation was led by the State Department and also included representatives from NOAA, NASA, FEMA, the Department of Commerce, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Some of the most senior representatives from each delegation (State Department and NOAA from the U.S. side) presented an overview of the EU-U.S. Space Dialogue during a public briefing at the EU Delegation to the U.S. on January 17, 2018. Watch it here.
Where Is U.S. Space Policy Heading Next
In the margins of the public briefing, we recorded a podcast with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jonathan Margolis. Beyond discussing the state of play of EU-U.S. space relations, we addressed 2017 announcements from the Trump administration on the priorities of U.S. space policy over the years to come.
In line with the initial recommendations from the U.S. National Space Council, the presidential space policy directive from December 2017 placed human exploration back at the core of U.S. space strategy. Forty-five years after the last man stepped on the Moon, the U.S. pledged to send humans back on the moon, and then look towards Mars and beyond. The directive also highlighted the importance of partnerships with international and commercial players.
To learn more:
- Listen to the EU Now Podcast recorded on 17 January 2018 with Jonathan Margolis, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Science, Space and Health
- Watch this video clip from the Delegation of the EU to the U.S. on recent developments in EU-U.S. space cooperation
- Consult the space policy webpage of the European Commission
- Engage with us at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs on 16–19 April 2018
Continue the conversation on Twitter using #EUSpacePolicy!
