What are the components of the EU Space Programme?

Galileo (global navigation) and EGNOS (regional augmentation), Copernicus (Earth observation), GOVSATCOM (secure governmental satcom) and SSA (space situational awareness). IRIS², the secure-connectivity constellation, was added by the 2023 Secure Connectivity Regulation.

Is the EU Space Programme the same as ESA?

No. The EU Space Programme is the EU's own budget and infrastructure, owned politically by the European Commission. ESA is a separate intergovernmental agency that acts as a development and procurement partner for much of it, while EUSPA operates services.

What is the EU Space Programme?

The EU Space Programme is the European Union's integrated space effort for 2021–2027, with a budget of about €14.9 billion — the largest space budget the EU has ever adopted. It bundles the flagship infrastructures: Galileo/EGNOS (navigation), Copernicus (Earth observation), GOVSATCOM (secure satcom), SSA (space surveillance) — and, since 2023, the IRIS² secure-connectivity constellation.

Who does what

European Commission (DG DEFIS) — owns the programme and budget.
ESA — develops and procures most of the space segment.
EUSPA — operates services, security accreditation, market uptake.

Where the money reaches startups

The programme itself procures big infrastructure from primes — but it feeds several startup-accessible channels: IRIS² subcontracting (SME quotas were a political design goal of the constellation), CASSINI entrepreneurship instruments, EUSPA's downstream calls, and free Galileo/Copernicus data that whole business models are built on. Many related tenders and calls appear alongside ESA's on VIRA: see live tenders.

The follow-up programme for 2028–2034 is under negotiation as part of the next EU budget cycle — figures will change; treat post-2027 numbers as [unverified] until adopted.

Official source: EU Space Programme — European Commission.

Written by Tymofiy Badikov, founder of VIRA.space (Virtual Innovation Research Assistant) — operated by Space Tech Gateway Sp. z o.o., Kraków Technology Park. VIRA tracks live European space funding calls and checks your eligibility free: see live tenders.