The EMISSARY (European Military Integrated Space Situational Awareness and Recognition capabilitY) programme was officially launched with a Grant Agreement kick-off meeting recently held in Rome, bringing together over 100 participants from industrial consortium partners, including the Programme Manager from the Italian Ministry of Defence (Ministero della Difesa), the European Commission and the European Defence Agency.
Co-funded by the European Commission, under the European Defence Fund (EDF), EMISSARY marks a decisive step towards the development of autonomous and interoperable European capabilities for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) in support of defence and security. The project is focused on the development of a network of advanced sensors and a dedicated military Command and Control (C2) software for SSA, enabling the collection, processing, and secure exchange of data. Its objective is to create a shared military Recognised Space Picture (RSP) for operational use, supporting Space operations while ensuring national and European sovereignty over data and decision-making.
Coordinated by Leonardo, the initiative brings together 46 beneficiaries from 13 supporting Member States – including Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Finland, Austria, Sweden, Portugal, Greece, Luxembourg, Romania, and Norway. EMISSARY will run for four years with a total value of €158 million.
Building on the achievements of EDIDP projects INTEGRAL and SAURON, EMISSARY will drive the system towards an initial operational capability for military SSA, reflecting Europe’s strategic commitment to enhancing Space security, protecting critical Space assets, and reinforcing its autonomy and competitiveness in the Space sector.
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