Tracking man-made litter in space to prevent damage to satellites
EU member states will be better able to locate and monitor man-made litter in space and alert satellite operators to collision risks, thanks to a draft law, already informally agreed with the Council, to be voted on Wednesday. By pooling their space surveillance and tracking (SST) capacities and offering new services, EU countries can help create an autonomous EU SST system, rather than relying solely on US data.
Space debris can damage and even destroy satellites, thus posing a threat to communication services such as television, mapping or satellite telephony.
Over the next seven years, the new SST support arrangements will receive about €70 million in funding from EU programmes such as Copernicus, Galileo, Egnos and Horizon 2020.
Procedure: Ordinary legislative procedure (1st reading agreement)
Vote: Wednesday, 2 April
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