EU Space SAB latest news – 2024 highlights

SAB#63 last week was the occasion to thank Claude Schanet for his contribution to the EU Space Programme Security Accreditation Board (SAB) as deputy chair during the last 4 years. Francois Bernier was elected by the SAB Member States as the new deputy chair. In accordance with the EU Space Regulation, the SAB Deputy Chairperson shall automatically replace the Chairperson if he or she is prevented from attending to his or her duties. Therefore, the chair and deputy chair work as an integrated team to ensure this transition if circumstances so require. Welcome Francois!

During the SAB, almost all the EU Space Programme components were as always addressed:

• On Galileo, it was the occasion to continue preparing the OSNMA and PRS IOC service declarations planned for 2025 and to define the SAB in depth involvement in Galileo Second Generation System Critical Design Review prepared by European Space Agency - ESA . SAB approved also the audit on operations which will be organized at the Fucino and Oberpfaffenhofen Galileo Control Centres and at Galileo Security Monitoring Centres next year. A specific session was organized to share the lessons learnt from the last 2 successful launch campaigns in April and September at Cape Canaveral with SpaceX Falcon-9 rockets. Finally, European External Action Service briefed the SAB on the Space Threat Response Architecture status.
• On EGNOS, the preparation of EGNOS V.2.4.3 accreditation is on-going and the cooperation between SAB and EASA - European Union Aviation Safety Agency , established beginning of 2024, continue enabling coordination of accreditation and certification activities.
• On Copernicus, the Commission briefed us about the implementation status of the last SAB recommendation related to the applicable general security requirements. The way forward on the accreditation approach for the pilot Earth Observation Governmental Service and the outcomes of the last SAB visit to SatCen were shared.
• On GOVSATCOM the SAB secretariat audits are in preparation and amendments of the SAB rules of procedures have been adopted to cope with the IRIS2 regulation and prepare SAB IRIS2 accreditation activities in 2025.

During this year, the SAB supported as always the Programme all along. The highlights of 2024 certainly include:

• The 2 Galileo launches from the US territory, taking benefit of the EU-US agreement, where the SAB Member States and their representatives, cooperated every day in an optimal way with the European Space Agency - ESA team from the transfer of the Galileo Satellites from EU to US and up to the launch from Cape Canaveral. It made possible the SAB authorizations of the launches, of the EUSPA - EU Agency for the Space Programme subsequent operations and of the entry into services of additional satellites within the Galileo constellation.
• The SAB authorization for the migration of the Galileo Ground Segment. After in depth interactions with the Galileo Programme (Commission, ESA, EUSPA) all along the migration process, the migration was successful. It was a key achievement to prepare the Galileo PRS Initial Operational Capability declaration in 2025.
• The signature of a cooperation agreement between SAB and EASA.
• The SAB definition and approval of the GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 Security Accreditation Strategy. This SAB document was made applicable by the European Commission to the contract signed few days ago with the SpaceRISE consortium composed of Eutelsat Group, SES Satellites, and Hispasat.

Finally, the cybersecurity audits and cyber penetration tests performed by the SAB secretariat under the SAB supervision and the subsequent treatment plans agreed with the Commission are certainly a key element of this year. Without any doubt SAB cyber activities will continue to grow in the future.

Many thanks to all, for having made those 2024 achievements possible !

Wishing you Merry Christmas and a very happy festive season !