Europe strengthens its space security with the EMISSARY project

In 2024, the European Commission awarded the EMISSARY project to a consortium of companies, including GMV. EMISSARY aims to develop a European military space awareness system within the framework of the European Defence Fund (EDF), which serves to support research and development in the European military industry. The project has a budget of over 157 million euros and is a continuation of the INTEGRAL and SAURON projects, which focused on developing prototypes for the control center and sensors of the space surveillance system.

Military space surveillance is responsible for protecting military assets in space and supporting ground operations. In recent years, space has become an important battlefield to consider, and due to the current geopolitical situation, space surveillance has gained significant relevance. The military space surveillance system developed under EMISSARY will be responsible for monitoring approaches of spy satellites, launches of objects or missiles, and overflights of observation or communication satellites to support ground operations. The system allows for full collaboration between the Member States through the Space Surveillance Network system. This collaboration enriches each national Recognized Space Picture with SSA data. Moreover, the project comprises cutting edge sensor technologies development to be integrated in the system.

The consortium carrying out the project is led by the Italian company Leonardo and comprises almost 50 companies, including the main European space industry. GMV's role is of utmost importance, being a leader in the development of the system prototype and technical leaders of the fundamental components. Additionally, GMV will provide capabilities for cataloging, monitoring approaches, monitoring launches, and characterizing space objects.

The project, which will kick-off in April 2025 and end in 2029, will represent a step forward in European military collaboration, as the surveillance system control center will consist of different nodes, one in each Member State, capable of collaborating with each other. Furthermore, it will provide top-level capabilities in Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and space surveillance sensors.