SESAR Joint Undertaking and European Space Agency join forces to deliver space-enabled air traffic management

The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) and the European Space Agency (ESA) through its Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity Directorate have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC), reinforcing their long-standing partnership to accelerate the integration of space-enabled technologies into the future Digital European Sky.

Building on past successful cooperation between the SESAR JU and ESA, the memorandum establishes a structured cooperation framework to identify, develop, validate and promote space-enabled capabilities that will support the next generation of air traffic management (ATM), in line with the European ATM Master Plan. By bringing together European expertise in aviation and space, the two organisations will work towards alignment between future space-based services and aviation’s business needs, while meeting the highest standards for safety, security, interoperability and certification. The cooperation between the SESAR JU and ESA will complement their respective activities with the European Commission in this field. It will also support the transition from research to deployment, helping to bring innovative space technologies into operational use and strengthening the competitiveness and technological autonomy of Europe's aviation sector.

Under the memorandum, the SESAR JU and ESA will cooperate in several areas, including: 

• strengthening the integration of satellite, aircraft and ground infrastructure, and in particular, the development of communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) services such as multilink communications, satellite communications, L-band-digital aeronautical communication system (LDACS) complementary services, hybrid communications and secure air-ground data exchange;
• advancing secure air-ground connectivity and alternative positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities;
• supporting the safe integration of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and other new airspace users;
• assessing how European space programmes and infrastructure, including IRIS², Galileo and EGNOS, can strengthen ATM resilience, operational continuity, climate-informed trajectory optimisation and Europe's strategic autonomy. 

“The future Digital European Sky will rely on the seamless integration between air and space technologies. By strengthening our cooperation with ESA, we are laying the foundations for a more resilient, secure and sustainable air traffic management system, while reinforcing Europe's technological leadership and competitiveness,” said Andreas Boschen, Executive Director, SESAR Joint Undertaking.

“Europe’s space and aviation sectors are becoming increasingly interconnected, and this cooperation with the SESAR JU reflects the importance of working across both to deliver tangible benefits for our Member States. Combining Europe’s leading space capabilities with the expertise of the aviation community will provide practical solutions for the Digital European Sky to support a safer, more connected, more resilient and efficient future for European airspace,” said Laurent Jaffart, Director of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity, European Space Agency.