The EU Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) has reportedly seen a recent increase of more than 50% in staff since the EU space programme came into force and is expected to reach more than 300 people by the end of 2023, according to information gleaned on Wednesday 5 October.
The number of people working at the Prague-based agency is just over 200 and by the end of 2023 it is expected to be just over 300, “especially with our new responsibilities for the SST front desk”, a source told us, making reference to this service, which consists of operating and consolidating the service delivery interface that is dedicated to the provision of space situational awareness services and in-orbit object tracking services for users.
However, this strengthening of human resources still seems a little slow, according to some. Olivier Lemaître, Secretary General of ASD Eurospace, which represents the major European space industry players, expressed concerns about the lack of staff at the EU Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), when speaking at Prague House in Brussels on 27 September.
Mr Lemaître welcomed the EU’s greatly increased ambitions in the space field, in particular with regard to the EU Space Programme. However, in his opinion, the full success of the programme will only be possible if operators are responsible for: - ensuring the interface between the stakeholders in charge of the development phase, the service providers and the end-users; - taking responsibility for the operations and long-term evolution of the infrastructure; - ensuring the provision of continuous and reliable data and services to users.
Until very recently, he recalled, responsibility for the exploitation of the EU space programmes have fallen on a hotchpotch of agencies (GSA, Eumetsat and ESA). “Today, finally, a growing number of tasks is being entrusted to EUSPA, which of course makes sense. Nevertheless, the current situation of understaffing within EUSPA and its slow rise are still subjects of concern. It takes time and resources to set up strong and competent operators, so let us not waste time”, he warned. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)