Initial operational capacity for Space situational awareness C2 and sensors

The outcomes should contribute to:

• making military SSA Command and Control (SC2) centres and sensors for EU Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) available and their assets interoperable;
• ensuring consistency of the SC2 centres with existing national SSA C2 centres;
• enhancing cooperation between undertakings across Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway);
• achieving better performance while reducing costs and avoiding unnecessary duplications.

The expected outcomes of military SSA systems are to:

• contribute to the security and defence of the space domain and space assets that support the EU, its Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) operations and missions;
• enable secure space operations;
• contribute to the protection of military, national and EU security interests (Common Security and Defence Policy, military operations, protection of populations);
• support the Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) that are operating launching sites and/or military satellites.

European cooperation on military space situational awareness (SSA), including the development of a common Space Surveillance Network (SSN), interoperable military SSA Command and Control centres, exploitation tools and new SSA sensors, is recognised as a key solution to enhance Space Domain Awareness (SDA) of EU Member States, EDF associated countries (Norway) and the EU. A SSA capability, based on the capabilities of the Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) and taking into account interoperability and standards developed between NATO members, is crucial to assess the space situation. This capability, focused on the needs and requirements of the EU Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) defence end-users, is required to characterise and identify intentional threats against the EU, its Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) space infrastructure and may also, as a side effect, complement and extend current and future EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EU SST) services provided by dual-use sensors.

The main challenges faced by a European approach of military SSA are:

• to harmonise the requirements for a shared Recognised Space Picture (RSP) among supporting Member States and EDF associated countries (Norway) (sMS) focusing on defence users’ needs thus increasing cross-country military coordination;
• to characterise space activities which represent potential threats against sMS space systems, thus contributing to the deterrence of space attacks and to the support to space operations;
• to achieve a larger degree of European autonomy on military SSA and to safeguard European interests in space.

General objective

The general objective of this topic is to develop interconnected military SSA centres with their respective sensors to foster a larger degree of European autonomy with respect to awareness of the situation in space in order to contribute to a RSP, and support space operations, taking also benefit of relationships which may be established with other partner nations and organisations and their capabilities.

Specific objective

The specific objective of this topic is to develop military SSA sensors, command and control centres and Space Surveillance Network initial operational capability among the sMS.

The proposals must address the development of a military SSA capability broken down into two components:

• sensors and data processing for detection, tracking, identification and characterisation of space objects in LEO, MEO and GEO orbits;
• Space Situational Awareness Command and Control (SC2) centres, able to manage the sensors and the processing of collected data, including fusion of data processed at sensor level, and a space surveillance network (SSN) interconnecting military SSA C2 centres allowing the sharing of data;

able to:

• allow SSA sensor planning, data management, processing and sharing inside and between military Space Situational Awareness C2 Centres of sMS in accordance with an agreed data policy up to SECRET level;
• provide the basis for a shared, and consequently enhanced RSP and support space operations through added-value services to sMS;
• share data with military Space Situational Awareness centres of NATO allies.

The proposals must cover at least the following sensors:

• ground-based optical sensors. This item should include:
  • photometer;
  • spectrophotometer;
  • laser ranger;
  • high frequency imager;
  • polarimetric imager;
  • adaptive optics;

This may also include multiband imager (from visible to IR).

• ground-based RF sensors. This item should include:
  • radar sensors in monostatic configuration, including tracking and surveillance radars with characterisation capabilities;
  • radar sensors in multistatic configuration;
  • Inversed Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) imaging radars (considering multidimensional imaging);
  • passive radio-frequency;
• space-based sensors as hosted payloads for big satellites and small satellites and as only payloads for small satellites for LEO, MEO and GEO. This item should include:
  • optical, including multi-band/hyperspectral imaging systems;
  • radar;
  • passive radio-frequency.

Types of activities

The following table lists the types of activities which are eligible for this topic, and whether they are mandatory or optional (see Article 10(3) EDF Regulation):

The proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of the mandatory activities:

• the further development of military SSA C2 systems (including qualification for some functions) able to operate in an environment up to SECRET;
• the further development of military SSA ground-based sensors both optical and RF (including qualification for some of them) and definition of formats of data that are common to each type of sensors and compatible with the SSA C2 / SSN;
• under the framework of an agreed data policy, increase the modularity of the system architecture, flexibility of use, and responsiveness of the SSN (including qualification for some functions) through the combination and optimisation of resources (sensors and processing services), with the ability to handle data and/or information up to SECRET;
• further study and design of new space-based SSA sensors interoperable with SSA C2 systems.

In addition, the proposals should cover the following tasks:

• as part of testing, the interconnection of a sub-set of highly matured sensors with the above-mentioned SSA C2/SSN systems, to provide the basis for the creation of a shared RSP;
• the testing of SC2, SSN and selected sensors in an operational environment, involving at least two military SSA centres located in two EU Member States or EDF associated countries (Norway);
• for SSN, development (design, prototyping, testing) of high added-value tools to support joint multinational and multisensor planning, operations, data sharing and simulation activities;
• for photometer, further development, prototyping and test;
• for spectrophotometer, further development, prototyping and test including, developing observation strategies, testing in multiple sites, training of the machine learning capability based on measurements;
• for laser ranger, further development, prototyping and test allowing automation, compliance with laser safety regulation, remote control, availability of a European laser source, daylight operations and simulations;
• for high frequency imager, further development, prototyping and test allowing improved image quality, a more automated system and daylight operations;
• for polarimetric imager, further development, prototyping and test;
• for adaptive optics for high resolution imagery, further development, prototyping and test, including robustness increase, calibration automation and exploitation ease;
• for imaging radar, further development, prototyping and test including hardware and software development of a multistatic architecture;
• for tracking and surveillance radars with characterisation capabilities, further development, prototyping and test of characterisation modules, also through simulation;
• for passive radio-frequency, further development, prototyping and test allowing maximum coverage (both through antennas and bands monitoring);
• for radar sensors in multistatic configuration, further development, prototyping and test also with the objective to evaluate, also through simulation, the number and the geographical distribution of sensors;
• study and design of space-based SSA systems and missions in different orbits (LEO, MEO and GEO) with different sensors (optical, radar and passive radio-frequency);
• the development of technologies and assets increasing efficiency across the lifecycle (e.g. lower production, operational, maintenance, repair and overhaul or disposal costs) for the sensors, SC2 and SSN;
• the testing, in a real operational and multinational environment, of some of the integrated military SSA/SSN solutions, composed of interoperable C2 capabilities, exploitation tools and sensors.

The proposals must substantiate synergies and complementarity with foreseen, ongoing or completed activities in the field of SSA, notably those performed or foreseen in the context of the call topics EDIDP-SSAEW-SC2-2020 and EDIDP-SSAEW-SSAS-2020, as well as in the context of the EU SST framework. The proposals should also, where relevant, substantiate synergies and complementarity with the activities foreseen within the call topic EDF-2023-RA-SPACE-PSA.

Moreover:

• projects addressing activities referred to in point (d) above must be based on harmonised defence capability requirements jointly agreed by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries (or, if studies within the meaning of point (c) are still needed to define the requirements, at least on the joint intent to agree on them)
• projects addressing activities referred to in points (e) to (h) above, must be:
  • supported by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries that intend to procure the final product or use the technology in a coordinated manner, including through joint procurement

and

• • based on common technical specifications jointly agreed by the Member States or EDF associated countries that are to co-finance the action or that intend to jointly procure the final product or to jointly use the technology (or, if design within the meaning of point (d) is still needed to define the specifications, at least on the joint intent to agree on them).

Functional requirements

Military SSA capabilities to be developed should contribute to the following main functions:

• detection, surveillance and tracking of objects from, to and in space with a focus on the timely detection of anomalous/potential hostile manoeuvres and threats;
• identification, characterisation, including behaviour/pattern of life recognition, and classification of objects and activities (such as active spacecraft, rocket body, debris, etc.) from, to and in space, including resident space objects and, where possible, launching activities through RF, thus enabling attribution of space actions or behaviours;
• sharing of data between military SSA centres allowing the establishment of a more complete RSP;
• delivery of services to military space operators (e.g. support to threat surveillance and protection of space-based assets).