Space Data Association announces EU Space Surveillance and Tracking winner of T.S. Kelso Award
Ballasalla, Isle of Man, November 7, 2023 – The European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Partnership (EU SST) has been announced as the recipient of the Space Data Association’s T.S. Kelso Award, presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to space flight safety. The EU SST Partnership relies on the SSA capabilities of 15 Member States1 of the European Union to provide space safety services, with the EU Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) acting as Front Desk.
In particular, 57 organisations are registered to the Collision Avoidance service, through which EU SST protects more than 400 satellites in all orbit regimes (LEO, MEO, GEO) and of various origins (civil, commercial, military).
The issue of collision avoidance in space has been brought into tight focus in recent years as the industry embarks on a new era of growth in satellite launches. The T.S. Kelso award celebrates substantial, innovative, long-term, and practical original contributions to the advancement of space safety, and the preservation of the space environment.
Joe Chan, SDA Chairman commented,
‘The EU SST service has become a world-leading institutional SST service. Its capability to task its own sensors and provide an independent risk assessment are extremely valuable to users, many of which are also SDA Members. EU SST has earned users’ trust and respect through transparency, clarity of interfaces, frequent communications, and openness to constructive feedback. The EU SST has set a high bar for new institutional SST services currently being developed and it is an incredibly worthy winner of the T.S. Kelso Award.’
Dr Pascal Faucher, EU SST Chairman, Defense and Security, CNES, warmly thanked the Space Data Association, adding,
‘It is an honor to receive the T.S Kelso Award as it recognizes our commitment to delivering public services in collision avoidance, re-entry, and fragmentation analysis. We are heavily relying on Member States capabilities (mainly military sensors) as well as our vibrant and dynamic industry and start-ups ecosystem. The year 2023 represents a turning point for EU SST with the opening of the collision avoidance service to spacecraft operators worldwide since the 1st of January 2023. We are very pleased that many SDA members joined our SST user community. As we see a sharp increase in the number of satellites in orbit, it is imperative that all together, governments, industry and operators, cooperate to ensure safe, secure and sustainable space operations. We look forward to continuing to strengthen space safety through our services.’
The award was voted for by the SDA Directors among candidatures presented by SDA Members and presented to EU SST Chair, Pascal Faucher, at the AMOS Conference.
[1] Austria, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden
About the SDA
The Space Data Association Limited (SDA) is a non-profit international association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable, and efficient sharing of data critical to the safety and integrity of the space environment. The SDA is open to all satellite operators and other participants. Its membership comprises many of the world’s major satellite communications companies, as well as key scientific, remote sensing, and environmental satellite system operators. http://space-data.org/
About EU SST
As part of the Space Situational Awareness component of the EU Space Programme, EU SST is the key operational capability for the European Union’s future approach to Space Traffic Management. EU SST is continuously working on improving its sensors network and data processing capabilities as well as on developing new services to support space debris mitigation and remediation. EUSPA is responsible for the EU SST Front Desk operations since 1 July 2023.
