Back in 2016, five Member States networked their sensors and processing capabilities and started providing services to help spacecraft operators protect their satellites from collisions in space. Since then, EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (a subcomponent of the Space Situational Awareness component of the EU Space Programme) has been growing in terms of capabilities, assets, members and users.
Now in 2026, ten years later, EU SST is an internationally trusted brand, a worldwide SST provider, and a major space safety and sustainability actor. So, this year, EU SST celebrates 10 years of operations.
3 operational services delivered 24/7 round the clock free of charge
- Collision Avoidance
- Re-Entry Analysis
- Fragmentation Analysis
A truly European endeavour
- 3 Operations Centres managed by France, Spain and Italy
- measurements, database and cataloguing capabilities managed by Germany
- the SST Front Desk managed by the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)
- a worldwide sensor network and processing capabilities managed by EU SST and complemented by the EU space surveillance industry
- 19 Member States in the EU SST Partnership up from five ten years ago
- more than 700 satellites protected from collisions in space
- more than 400 organisations worldwide relying on EU SST services every day
- two EU SST services (out of three), Collision Avoidance and Re-Entry Analysis, open to users worldwide
- a network of around 70 sensors, both national and commercial, operational worldwide
- more than 100 colleagues working on EU SST every day, including in the 19 Member States of the EU SST Partnership, at EUSPA and at the European Commission
- more than 70 EU companies, from SMEs and start-ups to major players, helping to further enhance EU SST’s visibility of objects in space
Anniversary event
The European Commission will mark this milestone and major achievement with an anniversary event to which it invites the EU SST Partnership and EUSPA as well as EU SST users, EU SST partners and the EU space surveillance industry.
Date and time: Wednesday, 21 October 2026 09:00-19:00
Venue: Fine Arts Museum, Rue du Musée 9, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Registration: Invitation only
Programme
Attendees are welcomed in a festive and elegant atmosphere setting the stage for a celebratory day of 10 years of EU Space Surveillance and Tracking operations.
High-level speakers will open the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking 10 years of operations anniversary event highlighting EU SST’s essential role in keeping space assets safe and in building an international brand promoting space sustainability made in the EU.
Key EU SST actors will reflect on building and further developing the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking capability through national capacities. From its early days ten years ago, to where it stands today, and where it will go next, this session will explore the path of EU SST towards EU strategic autonomy in the field of space surveillance.
Selected users who rely on and use EU SST services every day share their experiences of how EU SST services help them keep their assets safe, be it manoeuvring satellites through a debris field in space or better understanding trajectories of re-entering objects to shield passengers in the air and people and infrastructure on Earth.
Attendees are invited to a socialising lunch to catch up with old acquaintances, meet new partners, and create mutually beneficial links in the field of space safety and sustainability.
In an interactive session, attendees will be able to test their knowledge on interesting facts and figures about the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking capability.
In short pitching sessions, selected EU Space Surveillance and Tracking companies, from start-ups to SMEs to established players, will present their business solutions, showcasing an innovative and thriving commercial EU space surveillance ecosystem.
With hundreds of organisations relying on its services every day, EU SST has grown into one of the major space safety and sustainability actors in the world. In this session, speakers will reflect on the role of EU SST as a major SST service provider and partner in keeping assets safe and space accessible and operational.
The European Commission, the EU SST Partnership, and EUSPA will reflect on the anniversary event’s highlights including 10 years of EU SST, user experiences with EU SST services, a thriving EU space surveillance commercial sector, and EU SST’s position as one of the major space safety and sustainability actors worldwide.
Attendees are invited to celebrate 10 years of EU Space Surveillance and Tracking operations around a birthday cake and a family photo.
Attendees are invited to raise a glass to celebrate 10 years of space safety and sustainability made in the EU with longtime colleagues and acquaintances and (hopefully) new partners and colleagues.