An EU-funded project is running a two-day simulation in Brussels from 24 to 25 March to train civil protection authorities to use data and services from the EU Space Programme during emergencies.
The exercise is the first EU-level simulation designed to use all components of the EU Space Programme within a single operational framework for civil protection, the European Commission announced on Tuesday.
Those components include Copernicus (Earth-observation satellites), Galileo (the EU’s satellite navigation system), Space Situational Awareness (monitoring objects and hazards in space), GOVSATCOM (secure satellite communications for government users) and IRIS² (a planned EU secure connectivity system).
Participants are working through two simulated crisis scenarios — wildfires and floods — and following established procedures for activating and exploiting EU space-based services.
Paolo Covelli, a civil protection officer from Italy’s national civil protection service, said the exercise involved working “side by side” with colleagues from other EU member states and focusing on faster access to space-based information and clearer coordination workflows.
More training events planned
The SUNSHINE project said the simulation builds on earlier training activities, including seminars, webinars and technical assistance for national civil protection authorities.
Two further training seminars are scheduled for Timișoara in Romania from 5 to 8 May 2026 and Zagreb in Croatia from 23 to 26 June 2026.
A second simulation exercise is due to take place in Brussels in October 2026.
The project is funded by the European Union and delivered by a consortium that includes Telespazio France, ALSO Space, CNES and other partners.
