Space for Maritime Task Force Launched

The “Space for Maritime Task Force” was recently launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) together with maritime stakeholders at the Italian Coast Guard Headquarters in Rome. The initiative acts on ESA’s vision to boost digital and green solutions, reducing emissions and enabling sustainable innovation.

In recent years, ESA Space Solutions has been cooperating with key stakeholders in the maritime sector via the Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme. These include a wide range of user communities and classes such as fisheries, coast guards, port authorities, military bodies, shipping companies, commercial operators, and international, national and European institutions. Through this cooperation, ESA has built strategic partnerships and supported several initiatives addressing domains such as maritime sustainability, ship tracking via satellite-based automatic identification systems (AIS), smart routing, autonomous vessels, water quality monitoring, the reduction of marine pollution and the green transition of ports’ eco-systems.

The Italian General Command of the Port Authority Corps - Coast Guard has, for some months, been working on a collaboration with ESA to foresee and enhance the use of space applications aimed at promoting sustainable innovation and transport in the maritime ecosystem. This collaboration has resulted in the creation of a standing committee, called the Space for Maritime Task Force (SMTF).

The Task Force aims to contribute to sustainability and maritime safety by increasing the use of innovative integrated solutions that exploit digital and space technologies, such as communications, navigation, and earth observation. This initiative will leverage active involvement of national institutions, Industry and research entities in the digital transformation of port and maritime services (e-Navigation), with a view to enhancing the sustainability of maritime transport. It will foster the innovative use of space technologies for supporting the shipping sector, for example in its transition to uncrewed shipping, as well as the implementation of a safe integration of uncrewed vessels within maritime transport provision, the monitoring of coastal areas and infrastructures, and maritime surveillance activity (in the domains of safety, security, fishing and the environment). The work will be divided into sub-topics of interest, which for the moment include "maritime sustainability", "green and smart ports" and "safety at sea and maritime security".

The results from the Task Force will be presented to international (International Maritime Organization - IMO) and European bodies, in order to contribute to the development and standardisation of requirements and innovative technologies aimed at improving maritime services. This will allow sustainable economic growth for all players involved. Rita Rinaldo, Head of the Projects & Studies Implementation Division at ESA Space Solutions commented “Collaboration with maritime stakeholders is key for ESA to support innovative solutions that exploit digital and space technologies, and to enable European space and downstream companies to contribute to sustainability and maritime safety.”

Partners in the Task Force include: the General Command of the Port Authority Corps - Coast Guard; European Space Agency (ESA); Italian Space Agency (ASI); National Inter-University Consortium for Telecommunications (CNIT); and the Directorate General for the Supervision of Port System Authorities, Maritime Transport and Inland Waterways.

ESA and PSCE cooperate on Space Applications and Digital Transformation in Public Safety

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Public Safety Communication Europe (PSCE) are working together to support the emergence of space-based applications in the domain of public safety. Having jointly signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI), the organisations will join efforts to support the emergence of applications that leverage on secure satellite communications for addressing the needs of blue forces. ESA will launch a funding call early in 2022 to invite companies to develop and demonstrate digital services that are enabled by secure satcom solutions for addressing the urgent needs of public safety operators.

Security in space and on Earth are inextricably linked. The deployment of advanced satellite systems and their safe circulation in space are crucial for resilient and secure connectivity on Earth. As set out in its recently released vision for European space activities, ESA is stepping up its efforts to enable Europe to address new safety and security user needs to make sure that our space programmes continue to be at the service of all citizens through Agenda 2025. ESA's Strategic Programme Line “Space Systems for Safety and Security (4S)” combines both to include applications within disaster preparedness, response and resilience, situational awareness, assessments of damages, navigation-based services for tracking and coordinating rescue forces on-site and for emergency vehicles.

Through its ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) programme, ESA is forging strong links between institutions, industries, and business to leverage the capabilities of space to drive digital services.

“I’m pleased to be working with PSCE to realise the potential of space to drive commercial solutions for secure satellite communication in public safety. This is a great example on how ESA is promoting the use of space technologies and applications to address safety and security needs expressed by the organisations operating in this domain. This collaboration will pave the way to the ESA Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response (R3) Accelerator,“ says Rita Rinaldo, Head of the Partner-led and Thematic Initiatives Section, ESA Space Solutions.

ESA and the City of Essen collaborate to protect urban and suburban areas with the power of space-applications

The City of Essen and the European Space Agency (ESA) are cooperating to promote the development of space-applications in support of the development and the protection of urban environments in a sustainable manner. As a priority within the sustainable urban development, the focus will be on the natural green protection in urban and suburban areas, climate change challenges, biodiversity protection, sustainable urban mobility, circular economy, and support of growth of a sustainable green and digital economy by leveraging satellite and terrestrial networks.

The first joint initiative that has been launched through this cooperation is an Invitation To Tender for companies to propose space-based applications which can contribute to whether and to what extent green spaces can be effectively integrated into smart city planning and urban green management, be monitored regarding their status and their impact on the surroundings and preserved as natural capital to maximise benefits for all citizens. The City of Essen has been crucial for the definition of the key application areas.

The Lord Mayor of the City of Essen, Thomas Kufen, is looking forward to the cooperation and the opportunities it entails: “Urban green infrastructure improves water management during extreme precipitation events, has a positive impact on air quality, mitigates extreme summer temperatures, and provides recreational spaces. In times of climate change it is more important than ever in context of urban development, which must be rethought in a global context. The services developed with ESA will help us to observe, understand and sustainably adapt our local environment and its interdependencies.“

Rita Rinaldo, Head of the Partner/Thematic led Initiative of Space Solutions Programme in ESA, added: “working with the City of Essen gives us the opportunity to foster the development of space applications with the aim of making our cities greener, while boosting sustainability and infrastructure, protecting the environment and creating shared value for citizens. We are confident that this cooperation will showcase the potential of space to deliver green value thanks to innovative space-based solutions with environmental and socio-economic benefits at scale.”

European Space Agency signs Memorandum of Intent with Public Safety Communication Europe

Public Safety Communication Europe (PSCE) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) to support the utilisation of satellite applications for Public Safety.
ESA and PSCE will work together under the new MoI towards establishing interoperable public safety communications systems.
The MoI will support the emergence of space-based applications in the Public Safety domain such as public safety services relying on secure mobile broadband communication solutions. These include applications within disaster preparedness, response and resilience, situational awareness, assessments of damages, navigation-based services for tracking and coordinating rescue forces on-site and for emergency vehicles.
"ESA Space Solutions and the 4S Strategic Programme Line will support through this agreement the emergence of solutions making use of secure satellite communications for institutional Public Safety user communities. This can be achieved as of today through existing satellite telecommunications infrastructures. In the future it will be possible to make use of new and innovative infrastructures with enhanced capabilities. Early pilots and demonstrations will showcase the unique benefits granted by satellites to the user communities and early adopters", says Rita Rinaldo, ESA
"The cooperation with ESA will help to explore complementary solutions that will contribute to cover capability gaps and needs for public safety. It is of extreme importance to improve public safety communication systems with cutting-edge and rapidly deployable solutions that will facilitate PPDR missions", explains Marie-Christine Bonnamour, PSCE.
The cooperation between ESA and PSCE will be activated as a first step through PSCE participation in the ongoing user studies on "Satellite Applications for Public Safety".
PSCE will contribute to the identification of the needs of public safety stakeholders such as emergency services, fire brigades and law enforcement.

FAA Should Examine a Range of Options to Support U.S. Launch Infrastructure

Demand for commercial space launches is expected to increase. Twelve launch sites in The US held operator licenses in Aug. 2020, and 11 more were seeking licenses from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Congress asked the FAA to recommend ways to facilitate and promote investments in space transportation infrastructure. The FAA told the GAO that its response would focus on 2 existing FAA grant programs.
Launch providers support the deployment of people and payloads, such as national security and commercial satellites or research probes, into space. The majority of these providers told GAO that U.S. space transportation infrastructure—located at sites across the country—is generally sufficient for them to meet their customers' current requirements. This situation is in part a result of the launch providers' investments in launch sites, along with state and local funding. Launch providers and site operators alike seek future improvements but differ on the type and location of infrastructure required. Some launch providers said that infrastructure improvements would be required to increase launch capacity at existing busy launch sites, while a few site operators said that new infrastructure and additional launch sites would help expand the nation's overall launch capacity.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was directed by statute to make recommendations to Congress on how to facilitate and promote greater investments in space transportation infrastructure, among other things. However, FAA's initial draft report was limited because it focused only on two existing FAA programs, rather than a range of options. FAA officials stated that they did not examine other options because of limited time and resources, and that the two identified programs could be implemented quickly because FAA has administrative authority to manage them. Leading practices in infrastructure investment emphasize the importance of conducting an examination of potential approaches, which can help identify how best to support national interests; avoid overlap or duplication of federal effort; and enhance, not substitute, participation by non-federal stakeholders. An examination may also help identify alternatives to making funding available, such as increasing efficiency and capacity through technology improvements. By focusing only on these existing programs, FAA may overlook other options that better meet federal policy goals and maximize the effect of any federal investment. Although FAA has already prepared its initial report to respond to the statute, it still has opportunities, such as during subsequent mandated updates, to report separately on potential approaches.
Demand for commercial space launches is anticipated to increase in the coming years. FAA, the agency responsible for overseeing the sites where these launches occur, was directed by statute to submit a report—and update it every 2 years until December 2024—that makes recommendations on how to facilitate and promote greater investments in space transportation infrastructure.