Jiří Šedivý, EDA Chief Executive, said: “Nowadays, neither national nor multinational military operations are anymore conceivable without the support of space-based systems, especially secure and resilient satellite communication, and their importance keeps growing.

“The Coordinated Annual Review on Defence, which delivered a first-ever comprehensive defence review conducted at EU level, specifically underlined the importance of cooperation in space and identified ‘Defence in Space’ as one of the most pressing, most needed and most impacting areas for cooperation and future investment in EU defence.

“Therefore, increased cooperation between ESA and EDA in this specific domain will not only be beneficial for our member states and industry, but also contribute to strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities”.

Jan Wörner, ESA Director General, said: “Over the years, our two agencies have undertaken no less than eight formal cooperation projects, ranging across most space domains. Our partnership is solid and will support ESA Member States and help ensure a resilient civil infrastructure and robust services for citizens.”