EU Space Programme and new agency in Prague ready to take off1/5/2021|Press releasesThe European Parliament gave its consent to the EU Space Programme and new EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), which will reside in Prague. The aim of the EU Space Programme with a budget of EUR 14.8 billion will be mainly construction and operation of satellite systems, which will make data and services accessible for all users across various industries, in private and state sector, in science as well as for personal use. “The adoption of the EU Space Programme is an important milestone for the GSA agency in Prague allowing its transformation to the new agency EUSPA and widening its scope and competences. It will now focus not only on satellite navigation, but also on Earth observation, satellite telecommunication, support of innovations and space security”, said minister of transport Karel Havlíček. EU flagship programmes for navigation, Galileo and EGNOS, and for Earth observation, Copernicus, will now be part of a new grand programme, which also includes a new telecommunication initiative GOVSATCOM and system for surveillance of near Earth’s surroundings, including space fragments and space traffic monitoring. The programme will also support entrepreneurship and innovation, involvement of SMEs into the construction of space infrastructure and other activities aiming to develop and implement services according to users’ demands. “Satellite systems bring many opportunities during construction and processing of data into services. Therefore, the programme is a big opportunity for Czech companies, innovators and science centres. Satellite navigation and Earth observation is used across various industries, such as transport, logistics, agriculture, management of natural resources, monitoring of the environment, smart cities etc. The satellite services are also crucial for autonomous systems. The importance of satellite systems and their protection is rapidly growing, hence the creation of the new programme, development of its infrastructure and services”, said Ondřej Šváb, head of Space Technologies and Applications Unit at the Ministry of Transport. The EU Space Programme also means a new level of space cooperation in Europe. The European Commission will be entrusted with the programme management. It will closely cooperate with EUSPA as well as ESA. ESA will be responsible for the construction of new satellite systems and the preparation of new technologies. “Activities related not only to space systems operation, but also development of the market and safety of the entire programme will be managed from Prague. Space experts, entrepreneurs and scientists from across Europe will meet here. The Czech Republic has a unique opportunity to present itself in a progressive development of new technologies and applications with high-added value and continue to develop the abilities and capacities gained from ESA programmes. Given its enlargement, EUSPA will open number of new job positions, which will be also an opportunity for Czech experts”, said Václav Kobera, director of ITS, Space Activities and R&D Department. The Ministry of Transport, which is responsible for most of the space activities in the Czech Republic and therefore the main Czech negotiator, worked towards an enforcement of GSA in cooperation with the Czech Permanent Representation in Brussels, the Office of the Government and the government commissioner for cooperation with GSA for nearly 8 years. Also a close cooperation with the European Parliament, especially with the MEP Mr. Tošenovský and his team, played a crucial role. The key to success was that the state administration spoke with a unique voice. The official launch of the EU Space Programme is planned on 22 June 2021 in Brussels, after the conclusion of Financial Framework Partnership Agreement between the European Commission, EUSPA and ESA. Photo: https://tech.instory.cz