EUSPA - EU Agency for the Space Programme

What EUSPA - EU Agency for the Space Programme does

EUSPA is the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, a public regulatory and operational body established by Regulation (EU) 2021/696 and headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. It was originally founded in 2004 as the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and was renamed EUSPA in 2021 when its mandate was substantially broadened. The agency manages and operates the core components of the EU Space Programme: Galileo (global navigation satellite system), EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service for aviation), Copernicus (Earth Observation via the Sentinel constellation), GOVSATCOM (governmental satellite communications), IRIS2 (a new secure connectivity constellation in development), and Space Situational Awareness (SSA), including the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Front Desk since 2022. EUSPA links EU-owned space infrastructure to user communities including EU institutions, member-state governments, regulators, commercial integrators, and global end users (over 4 billion Galileo-equipped devices). It also acts as the procurement and operational interface to the European space industry for programme delivery, and runs the CASSINI initiative (EUR 1 billion for EU space startups and SMEs) and the Space Academy for capacity building.

The agency's product surface is built around space-based signals and data services. Galileo delivers positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) signals with multiple service tiers: a free Open Service, the High Accuracy Service (HAS), Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA, declared operational 2025), and the encrypted Public Regulated Service (PRS) for governmental users. EGNOS augments GPS for safety-critical aviation. Copernicus provides free, full-resolution Earth Observation data across six thematic service areas (land, marine, atmosphere, climate, emergency, security) via the Sentinel satellites (Sentinel-1D launched 2025). GOVSATCOM delivers secure communications to authorised EU governmental users, and IRIS2 is being developed as a multi-orbit resilient connectivity infrastructure.

EUSPA's economic model is that of a public utility rather than a commercial business. The agency does not generate market revenue; it is funded through the EU Multiannual Financial Framework, within which the EU Space Programme has been allocated roughly EUR 13-14 billion for 2021-2027. Most user-facing services — Galileo Open Service, EGNOS safety-of-life, and Copernicus data — are free at point of use, while restricted services (PRS, GOVSATCOM) are reserved for authorised governmental and institutional users. Customer segments therefore split between (i) authorised public-sector users (police, customs, civil protection, aviation regulators, EU institutions, member-state governments) and (ii) the broader commercial and research community consuming open services and data.

Name

EUSPA - EU Agency for the Space Programme

Legal name

European Union Agency for the Space Programme

Website

https://euspa.europa.eu

Company type

Public

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

EUSPA is the EU Agency for the Space Programme, headquartered in Prague, which operates Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, GOVSATCOM, and Space Situational Awareness services for EU institutions, member-state governments, and over four billion global users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Space Programme Operations and Satellite Services

NAICS

Space Research and Technology (927110), Satellite Telecommunications (5174), Space Research and Technology (927)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

Keywords

• Satellite navigation services
• Earth observation data
• Space surveillance tracking
• Governmental satellite communications
• GNSS positioning timing

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. EU Budget Funding: EUSPA is funded through the EU budget as a European Union Agency. The agency does not charge citizens or businesses for core services like Galileo Open Service and Copernicus data access.
2. GOVSATCOM Services: EUSPA coordinates GOVSATCOM Hubs providing secure governmental satellite communications. Access is provided to authorized governmental users through pooling and sharing of satellite capacities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

EUSPA operates and manages the EU Space Programme, delivering positioning, navigation and timing services through Galileo and EGNOS, Earth Observation data through Copernicus Sentinel satellites, secure governmental satellite communications through GOVSATCOM and IRIS2, and Space Situational Awareness through EU SST. The agency also drives market uptake, innovation, and downstream applications of EU Space data via the CASSINI initiative and user engagement programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Galileo Open Service Free worldwide GNSS positioning, navigation and timing service delivered through the Galileo satellite constellation, available to any user with a compatible receiver.
• Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS) Encrypted, robust positioning and timing service reserved for government authorized users requiring secure navigation during sensitive missions, crises, and emergencies.
• Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) High-precision GNSS positioning service providing centimeter-level accuracy for professional and commercial applications such as surveying, agriculture, and geomatics.
• Galileo Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) Free authentication service that allows Galileo Open Service receivers to verify the authenticity of navigation data and detect spoofing events, the first such capability in a global GNSS.
• Galileo Search and Rescue Service International search-and-rescue service that detects distress beacons via MEOLUT stations and relays accurate location information to first responders.
• EGNOS Safety-of-Life Service Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) that improves GNSS accuracy and integrity for safety-critical applications, particularly civil aviation.
• Copernicus Earth Observation Services Earth Observation data and thematic services from the Sentinel satellite constellation, provided free of charge for environmental monitoring, climate change, security, and commercial applications.
• GOVSATCOM Hub Services Secure governmental satellite communications service that pools and shares satcom capacity across EU member states for civil protection, border surveillance, maritime monitoring, and crisis response.
• IRIS2 Secure Connectivity Constellation Multi-orbit secure connectivity satellite constellation providing resilient governmental communications across the EU, integrated with EuroQCI for cryptographic key distribution.
• EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EU SST) Services Space Situational Awareness services providing collision avoidance, re-entry analysis, and fragmentation monitoring to approximately 190 registered organizations protecting 400+ satellites.
• Galileo Launch 14 Deployment of two additional Galileo satellites via Ariane 6 to expand and refresh the Galileo constellation, strengthening global navigation services and PRS capacity.
• Galileo I/NAV Improvements Upgrade to Galileo's Open Service navigation message adding Reed Solomon FEC, Reduced Clock and Ephemeris Data, and Secondary Synchronisation Pattern for faster TTFF and improved robustness.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4 billion users benefitting from Galileo globally
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EU Satellite Centre (SatCen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SAB and SatCen signed memorandum of cooperation on EU Earth Observation Governmental Service (EOGS) pilot project.
• European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with EUSPA on cybersecurity for EU space programmes in coordination with CERT-EU and Commission.
• EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SAB and EASA cooperation on EGNOS to coordinate accreditation and certification activities for aviation applications.
• EU SST Partnership (15 Member States)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership of 15 EU Member States providing space safety services including collision avoidance for 400+ satellites, re-entry analysis, and fragmentation monitoring. EUSPA operates the SST Front Desk.
• European External Action Service (EEAS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration during STRA (Space Threat Response Architecture) exercises to test and enhance EU response to threats to space systems and services. Includes cyber-security incident response coordination.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ESA responsible for Galileo's system design and system evolution under EUSPA oversight. ESA operates testing laboratories for I/NAV improvements at ESTEC in Noordwijk.
• Security Accreditation Board (SAB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Independent security accreditation authority within EUSPA for all EU Space Programme components. Makes approximately 200 strategic decisions annually. Composed of representatives from each Member State, Commission, and High Representative.
• Italian Space Agency (ASI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ASI headquarters hosted GOVSATCOM use case demonstrations by ENTRUSTED consortium. ASI provides satellite capacity including Athena-Fidus for secure governmental communications demos.
• Luxembourg Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Demonstrated GOVSATCOM use cases including simulations of natural disasters and armed conflicts using secured GOVSAT-1 satellite co-owned by SES and Luxembourg government.
• Hellenic Ministries (Digital Governance and Defence)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Demonstrated multilateral secured video conference between Greek EU Delegations using Hellas SAT geostationary satellites for governmental actors.
• European Defence AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Presented pooling and sharing service provision model for EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military operations.
• GNSS Receiver ManufacturerscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Extensive testing phase where manufacturers, integrators and application developers utilized Galileo OSNMA Signal in Space to assess service performance. Collaboration for OSNMA implementation in civil aviation standards.
• United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022EUSPA partnered with UNOOSA to foster a space economy that best supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Collaboration aimed at promoting space technology applications globally.
• European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership to use Galileo and Copernicus data to further the goals of the Common Fisheries Policy. Enables monitoring and control of fisheries activities using satellite positioning and Earth observation.
• European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (EuroQCI)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022IRIS2 will integrate with European Quantum Communication Infrastructure to enable secure transmission of cryptographic keys, providing additional security layer for EU communications.
• ENTRUSTED ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020H2020-funded project with over 25 participating entities including EU Member States and agencies. EUSPA acts as project coordinator. Consortium provides governmental user requirements for GOVSATCOM services and assesses state-of-the-art SatCom technologies.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA): EASA cooperates with EUSPA's Security Accreditation Board on EGNOS to coordinate accreditation and certification activities for aviation applications. Both are EU regulatory agencies operating at the intersection of technical infrastructure and safety-critical domains.
• European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA): ENISA collaborates with EUSPA on cybersecurity for EU space programmes alongside CERT-EU and the Commission. Both are EU agencies providing specialized technical services and advisory to Member States.
• EU Satellite Centre (SatCen): SatCen collaborates with EUSPA on the EU Earth Observation Governmental Service (EOGS) pilot and previously operated the SST Front Desk before transferring it to EUSPA in 2022. They share Earth observation and space-based security mandates within the EU institutional architecture.
• European Space Agency (ESA): ESA is EUSPA's closest institutional partner, responsible for Galileo system design and system evolution under EUSPA oversight. Both agencies jointly operate the EU Space Programme from complementary design and operational roles.

Others

• SES S.A. SES co-owns the GOVSAT-1 satellite with the Luxembourg government and partners with EUSPA on secure governmental SATCOM demonstrations. It is comparable as a commercial satellite operator providing capacity that complements EUSPA's secure connectivity programs.

Regional players

• Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES): CNES is the French national space agency hosting Galileo-related ground infrastructure and providing operational support to EUSPA's GSMC and GCC facilities. It is comparable as a regional public space agency contributing to the broader European space ecosystem.
• Italian Space Agency (ASI): ASI hosts GOVSATCOM demonstrations and provides satellite capacity including Athena-Fidus for secure governmental communications. It is a comparable European national space agency engaged in EU Space Programme deployment and operations.
• UK Space Agency: The UK Space Agency is the UK national space authority responsible for civil space strategy and GNSS-related programs post-Brexit. It is comparable as a European national public-sector space agency with overlapping downstream application and PNT mandates.
• German Aerospace Center (DLR): DLR is the German national space research and technology center operating GOVSATCOM use case demonstrations and contributing to Galileo ground operations. It serves as a comparable national-level space R&D and operations agency within Europe.

Broad incumbents

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): NASA is the US public-sector space agency operating GNSS-related, Earth observation, and space communications services broadly. It serves as a counterpart benchmark for EUSPA in terms of public-sector space program scale, even though the US relies on the Department of Defense for GPS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EU4Space
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/EUSPA
• Facebookfacebook.com/EU4Space
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/euspa
• Instagraminstagram.com/space4eu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about EUSPA - EU Agency for the Space Programme