EU space and defence officials have presented a final set of requirements drawn up with satellite operators to help manage traffic in an increasingly crowded orbit.
DG DEFIS and EEAS hosted the sixth meeting of Space Traffic Management (STM) subgroup 1 on 18 March 2026, focused on civilian and military STM needs.
DG DEFIS is the European Commission department for Defence Industry and Space, while the EEAS is the EU’s diplomatic service.
They presented a final report compiling civilian and military STM requirements based on replies, contributions and discussions with EU operators over the past two years, the Commission informed on Wednesday.
Operators in the subgroup confirmed the report adequately reflects their needs for operating in congested space.
The requirements were compiled by operators primarily for operators and will feed into EU policy initiatives.
What happens next
Next steps include seeking agreement from EU civilian and military operators on the final report, publishing an executive summary, and exploring options to put operators’ requirements into practice, the statement said.
DG DEFIS and the EEAS said they would continue dialogue with EU operators to implement the requirements and track future needs as space activity develops.
STM subgroup 1 is co-chaired by DG DEFIS and the EEAS and includes representatives from EU and Norwegian civilian space operators, as well as the European Defence Agency, which aggregates the views of EU military operators.
The group supports work under the EU’s Joint Communication on an EU approach to Space Traffic Management, including assessing STM requirements and their impacts for the EU.
