Livermore CA (SPX) May 27, 2021
Nearly 40 years ago, scientists first predicted the existence of helium rain inside planets composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, such as Jupiter and Saturn. However, achieving the experimental conditions necessary to validate this hypothesis hasn't been possible - until now. In a paper published by Nature, scientists reveal experimental evidence to support this long-standing predicti

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) May 27, 2021
Moon dust isn't like the stuff that collects on a bookshelf or on tables - it's ubiquitous and abrasive, and it clings to everything. It's so bad that it even broke the vacuum NASA designed to clean the Moon dust off Apollo spacesuits. With NASA's return to the Moon and its orbit, it will need to manage the dust, which is dangerous for people too. The first step is knowing how much is arou

London, Canada (SPX) May 27, 2021
With Elon Musk keen to settle on Mars, and NASA planning its own human missions, there's more to it than finding a safe place to land on the red planet. When it's no longer just robots, rovers and drones arriving, accessing the untapped abundance of ice that lies beneath the Martian surface will be key for astronauts too. Expertly checking both boxes, planetary geologists at Western have n

Moscow (Sputnik) May 27, 2021
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russian state space agency Roscosmos, announced on Tuesday that he invited the newly appointed head of NASA, Bill Nelson, to visit Russia to discuss cooperation in space. "The new head of NASA, Mr. Nelson, is a respected and honored person and specialist. I will be glad to meet him. We have already invited him to Russia and are ready to discuss openly and constr

Washington (AFP) May 27, 2021
Are aliens watching us? That's what Americans hope to find out when a report on the US government's secret files on UFOs goes to Congress next month after years of sightings and videos suggesting that highly advanced extraterrestrials are, indeed, out there. But the report from the Director of National Intelligence, pulled together with classified military files, could fall short of exp

Image: Jupiter antenna that came in from the cold

EUSPA is the only European Union agency dedicated to space. Our unique mission is to serve as the essential link between space technology and user needs, translating the European Union’s investment in space into valuable, reliable services for European citizens.

EUSPA is responsible for operational management of the EGNOS and Galileo satellite navigation programmes and for ensuring the continuous provision of their services. This involves the management, operation, maintenance, continuous improvement, evolution and protection of the systems’ infrastructure, including upgrades and obsolescence management. The Agency is also responsible for developing future generations of the systems, the evolution of their services, and for activities related to th extension of their coverage.

Our responsibilities also include overseeing the operation of such key service facilities as the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC) in France and in Spain, the European GNSS Service Centre (GSC) in Spain, the Galileo Reference Centre (GRC) in the Netherlands, the Galileo Control Centres (GCC) in Italy and Germany and the Galileo Integrated Logistic Support Centre (GILSC) in Belgium. 

An important element of our work at EUSPA is to support the development of downstream and integrated applications based on Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus, including through the Fundamental Elements funding mechanism and Horizon Europe. We also support the development of fundamental technological elements, such as Galileo-enabled chipsets and receivers, and provide the European Commission with expertise, including in preparing research priorities related to the downstream space market. 

Another key part of our work is communications, market development and promotion of Galileo and EGNOS, and of the data, information and services offered by Copernicus, to promote user uptake of these data and services with a view to maximising their socio-economic benefits. 

A core task for EUSPA is security of the EU Space Programme. This includes security accreditation of all components of the space programme, through the Security Accreditation Board. EUSPA is also responsible for the operational security of Galileo and EGNOS, which is provided through the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre, and for the provision and delivery of the Galileo Public Regulated Service for governmental users.

EUSPA has been entrusted with coordination of user-related aspects of the European Union Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM), in close collaboration with Member States and other involved entities. 

The EC may also entrust the Agency with tasks related to the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) programme, particularly regarding programme security and the delivery of Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) services. In addition, the EC may entrust EUSPA with tasks related to the Quantum Communication Initiative (QCI) and the broader Secure Connectivity Initiative.

At the heart of our work at EUSPA are our efforts to support an innovative and competitive EU space sector, to ensure that space continues to drive innovation-based growth in Europe, delivering services and applications that meet the challenges that we face and supporting the implementation of priority EU policies.