Page 100 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΣΕΠΤΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2022

EUSPA’S ROLE IN
To safeguard Europe’s
leading position in wa-
terborne transportation,
the European Commission
is investing in digital
technologies that ensure
the safety of passengers
and crew and minimise the
environmental impact of
maritime operations.
100
SUPPORTING THE
STRATEGIC INTERESTS
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
by Rodrigo da Costa,
Executive Director,EU Agency for the Space Programme
The safety of life at sea and protect- con will see a light indicating that
ing the oceans have always been a their location has been established
top priority for the maritime sector. and the signal has been picked up
The European Union Agency for the by first responders. So far, Galileo is
Space Programme (EUSPA) is devel- the only constellation to offer such
oping space services tailored to the a service to end users. The Galileo
needs of this sector that deliver tan- RLS increases survival rates by giv-
gible benefits to end users. ing an important psychological boost
To safeguard Europe’s leading posi- to people in distress. Cospas-Sar-
tion in waterborne transportation, the sat experts have estimated that the
European Commission is investing in international SAR system, with the
digital technologies that ensure the contribution of the Galileo Search
safety of passengers and crew and and Rescue service, saves more than
minimise the environmental impact of 2,000 lives a year.
maritime operations. Many of these The European Union Agency for the
new technologies rely on data and Space Programme (EUSPA) has been
services generated by the EU Space entrusted with procuring the secure
Programme. operational ground segment (GOV-
EUSPA is the user-oriented oper- SATCOM Hubs), its operations, and
ational agency of the EU Space the coordination of GOVSATCOM’s
Programme, which contributes to user-related aspects, all in close col-
the sustainable growth, security laboration with the Member States
and safety of the European Union and other involved entities.
by enabling innovation, competitive- GOVSATCOM is designed to meet the
ness and resilience. EUSPA designs unique requirements of governmental
and delivers safe and secure space- applications, including those used for
based navigation services. It also crisis management, surveillance, and
stimulates the market uptake of EU the management of key infrastruc-
Space-based services by offering tures. Further, to successfully execute
incentives and know-how to estab- their missions, governmental actors
lished companies, SMEs, start-ups, must have access to secure satellite
and innovators to utilise the services communication services, which com-
and data provided by the EU Space mercial satellite communication ser-
Programme components Galileo, vices cannot provide.
EGNOS, and Copernicus. The launch In conclusion, the European Union
of the Galileo constellation means Agency for the Space Programme
a lot more than accurate navigation. works closely with industry partners,
The system was also set up to pro- user- communities, the European
tect EU citizens through various ser- Commission, the European Space
vices, one of them being the Galileo Agency, and, above all, the EU Mem-
Search and Rescue (SAR) service, ber States. With its user-oriented
which announced in January 2020 approach, the EUSPA plays a piv-
a breakthrough feature: the Galileo otal role in supporting the strategic
Return Link Service (RLS). Thanks interests of the Union and maximising
to Galileo RLS, sailors in distress the benefits to European society and
equipped with the appropriate bea- business.