There are around 11,000 satellites travel the Earth, and it is estimated that at least 50,000 more will be launched in the next decade. There are also international space stations such as exploration equipment, reused ships, and complexes. But who organizes all this activity in space? In the absence of a clear rules, the European Union has proposed a Space Act, a combination of measures that wants to create a clean, safe and more competitive environment in the European space sector locally and in international markets.
The European Commission says the current space regulation within the euro zone is scattered in various national ways, which slows down innovation, reduces European participation in the global market, and produces additional costs.
According to the European Union executive, the draft legislation will enhance the expansion of companies in the block in other markets, as it is designed to facilitate the procedure, to protect the assets in orbit and to promote the level of playground. The code is focused on three main pillars:
- Price: More than 128 million pieces of debris circulating in space are encountered, the space act introduces steps to improve tracking of objects in orbit and prevent new debris breeds. These include specific requirements to ensure the waste of satellites at the end of their lives.
- Flexibility: The commission warns that space infrastructure is facing growing cyber threats, which are capable of compromising with the process of satellites or disrupting the necessary services. Therefore, under this proposal, all operators need to diagnose the risk of their orbit in a lifetime. They will also need to submit detailed reports of the event and adopt the latest cyberciction standards.
- Establishment: As space activities increase, it becomes very important to handle resources, CO2 emissions and waste effectively. The new legal framework sets shared standards to monitor these effects and to explain the precautionary or corrective measures.
In a statement, the Commission emphasized that “the new rules will apply to both the European Union and the national space assets as well as the non -EU operators offering services in Europe. Regulatory needs will be adapted to the company’s size and maturity levels, and will be measured against the threats contained.”
Europe wants to guide the space economy
Recognizing that compliance with the regulatory framework would lead to considerable costs for the industry, the Commission proposed a series of auxiliary measures such as strengthening technical capabilities, facilitating access to test facilities and helping in the process of permission. The purpose of these initiatives is to benefit the startup and small and medium -sized business in this sector.
The Commission also presented a new vision to promote the European space economy, which aims to respond to the global dynamics of this sector, growing international competition, and emerging geographical political challenges.
The agency says space is a rapidly developing sector that plays a significant role in the blockade. It includes the industry dedicated to the manufacture of space systems and its process and widespread services that affect sectors such as climate, environment, agriculture, energy, transport, insurance, banking, security, and defense.
The proposed economic strategy includes more than 40 concrete measures to ensure Europe’s strong participation in the global space market, strengthen its sovereignty, and strengthen its technical advantage. These initiatives are formed by the European Space Team, a high -level forum that will unite key players in the environmental system, such as the European Space Agency and the European Union Agency for Space Program, which aims to integrate efforts in the block and combine capabilities. In addition, the Commission has planned a number of investment procedures to promote its space economy.
From this year, the Commission will develop a specific method to monitor the competition and market share of the European Union in the World Space Economy.
“The roots of Europe’s leadership in space should be found in sovereignty, security and strategic distress. Through the European Union’s Space Act, we are taking a bold step to ensure that our space infrastructure is flexible, our innovation has been made for the Environmental, our own, and our self -esteem.
This story originally appeared Wired Nspol And it has been translated from Spanish.
