The safety and security of European economies, societies and citizens rely on space-based applications such as communication, navigation and observation. However, due to the growing complexity of the orbital environment, space-based assets are increasingly at risk from collision with other operational spacecraft or debris. At the same time, objects may re-enter and cause damage on the ground. To mitigate these risks, we need to be able to survey and track such objects, and to provide this information to a variety of stakeholders.

Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) is part of the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) component of the EU Space Programme, adopted by the European Union in 2021 with the Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council. This Regulation foresaw the creation of an SST Partnership, which is composed, after the signature of the SST Partnership Agreement, of Constituting National Entities representing 15 EU Member States – Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden. An SST system is a network of ground-based and space-based sensors capable of surveying and tracking space objects, together with processing capabilities aiming to provide data, information and services on space objects that orbit around the Earth.