Parliament approves update of the EU’s space programme

The new iteration of the EU Space Programme adopted on April 27, will improve flagship initiatives such as Galileo, Copernicus and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).

The 2021-2027 EU space programme, adopted by Parliament will fund projects that provide high-quality space-related data as well as services with key socio-economic benefits and potential to create jobs. It also aims to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy, its security and its role in the space sector.

The bulk of the €14.8 billion budget will be allocated to Galileo and EGNOS, the EU’s global and regional satellite navigation systems, as well as Copernicus, the EU’s Earth Observation programme.

The programme will also finance space security, such as the Space and Situational Awareness (SSA) programme and the new Governmental Satellite Communication initiative (GOVSATCOM) to support border protection, civil protection and humanitarian interventions.

The programme upgrades the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Agency by expanding its tasks and transforming it into the new EU Agency for the Space Programme.