In the event of a disaster on Earth, the loss of space-based services or supporting infrastructure on the ground could have significant consequences for citizens' safety and could considerably impair the delivery of emergency services by regional, national and European authorities.

To date, Europe's access to information on what is happening in space has been largely dependent on non-European sources. In recent years, for example, data to trigger alerts on potential collisions between European satellites and debris objects have only come through the good will of other space-faring nations. Thus, Europe needs an autonomous SSA capability.

In the area of space weather, Europe already has a wealth of expertise and assets providing high-quality scientific results and, in some cases, space weather products to local customers. A new, coordinated approach to developing space weather applications tailored to European user needs together with the supporting research and infrastructure would strongly increase our capabilities in this area.

Space: for boosting economic growth

SSA is also enabling Europe to play a fundamental role in support of the peaceful uses of outer space by providing the international community with independent options for verifying compliance with treaties and codes of conduct.

SSA also supports international technical, regulatory and political processes through knowledge based on independent data and information. Importantly, SSA also directly supports the European Union and the EU's 'Lisbon Objectives' - to foster the development of new applications, new services, new jobs and new markets.

Knowing what happens in space

SSA means that Europe will know what goes on in space by acquiring the capability to independently watch for objects and natural phenomena that could harm our infrastructure. The programme is active in three main areas:

• Survey and tracking of objects in Earth orbit - comprising active and inactive satellites, discarded launch stages and fragmentation debris that orbit the Earth
• Monitoring space weather - comprising particles and radiation coming from the Sun that can affect communications, navigation systems and other networks in space and on the ground
• Watching for near-Earth objects - comprising natural objects that can potentially impact Earth and cause damage and assessing their impact risk and potential mitigation measures

To create the capability to undertake these activities, the programme will initially make use of existing ESA, European and international partner assets federated together into SSA services.

These will later be extended by new infrastructure including search radars and optical survey telescopes and may include dedicated satellite missions in the future.

International cooperation

Senior leaders from ESA, the EDA, the EC and industry meet in Brussels in September 2008

A crucial aspect of SSA activities is cooperation. SSA is managed directly by ESA on behalf of the ESA Member States who fund the programme; SSA also includes cooperation with European national and regional authorities including ministries of defence, national space agencies and national research establishments, particularly those with existing ground and space-based sensors.

For SSA, ESA is actively cooperating with European scientific and technical organisations as well as institutions and agencies of the EU including the European Defence Agency (EDA), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the European Union Satellite Centre (EUSC).

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Centre, Boulder, Colorado

SSA activities are also extending Europe's long-standing cooperation with organisations in the USA, including NASA, NOAA and the US Defense Department, and with bodies such as the United Nations and other international agencies.

For example, the US Joint Space Operations Center (JSPOC) at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, provides debris avoidance warnings to ESA and other satellite operators, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado, USA, provides space weather alerts, watches and warnings that are available globally for all users.

Programme milestones

Activities in the initial SSA Preparatory Programme (2009-11) are concentrating on the consolidation of requirements and on the architectural study and design of the complete SSA system.

Based on an agreed data policy, precursor SSA services will be established through use of existing national facilities, when possible. In parallel, essential components of the complete SSA system are being designed, including radars, sensors, networks and data centres.

Development of the full European SSA system in 2012-2019 will be decided at a future ESA Ministerial Council meeting.

SSA benefits Europeans

The SSA programme will help ensure that:

• The reliability, availability and security of Europe's space-based services are strengthened
• Europe will reaffirm its autonomous access to space, gain full knowledge of events in the economically and strategically important orbits near Earth, and enhance the peaceful uses of outer space in cooperation with international partners
• European industry will benefit from contracts and new, world-class competitive capabilities gained through the development of SSA infrastructure and services