21 EU (and Norwegian) civilian spacecraft operators from start-ups to major companies and their 14 military counterparts coordinated by the European Defence Agency (EDA) agreed on the final version of the Report aggregating civilian and military requirements of space operators on space traffic management, thus completing an important milestone on STM in Europe.
This is the result of two years of close cooperation: In a series of meetings between May 2024 and April 2026, EU civilian operators provided their inputs in a dedicated group of experts (Subgroup 1 of the STM Stakeholder Mechanism) while the European Defence Agency (EDA) solicited the views of EU military operators and constituents. Together, they proposed, compiled and discussed a wide range of requirements and needs. DG DEFIS and EEAS aggregated the requirements of both operator communities and compiled them into a report, consulting both operator communities throughout the drafting process. The Report is accompanied by a set of scenarios operators commonly face in orbit.
While the Report itself is available to the operator community, a publicly available Executive Summary outlines a high-level overview of the Report, our approach to the drafting process and working methods.
The finalised requirements complete Action 1 of the Joint STM Communication. This a major achievement and milestone in the implementation of the EU approach on STM. DG DEFIS and EEAS warmly thank EU civilian and military operators as well as EDA for their continued insights over the past two years!
The STM requirements contained in this report will evolve over time. The Operators, DG DEFIS, EEAS and EDA therefore agreed to maintain the dialogue on evolving requirements of both space operator communities and to update the report as new needs emerge. DG DEFIS and EEAS together with EDA will also explore options to help implement the requirements listed in the Report, thereby supporting operators to continue operating in space safely and sustainably.
Background
STM subgroup 1, co-chaired by DG DEFIS and EEAS, gathers representatives from EU and Norwegian civilian space operators and the European Defence Agency aggregating the views of EU military operators. STM subgroup 1 helps implement the first avenue on “assessing STM requirements and impacts for the EU” of the Joint Communication on an EU approach to STM.
More information
To find out about activities and meetings of STM subgroup 1, go to Space Traffic Management stakeholder mechanism (europa.eu).
