On 17 September 2026, at the World Space Business Week in Paris, the European Space Agency signed two contracts for the EU's future Earth Observation Governmental Service, EOGS. ICEYE and Leonardo will each lead a European industrial consortium and carry out parallel studies on the architecture of the service.
What EOGS is
EOGS is a planned programme of the European Commission, expected to begin in 2028 under the EU's next multiannual budget. According to ESA, it is to provide secure, reliable, timely and targeted Earth observation data from space to support preparedness, decision-making and action by the EU and its member states in security and defence. EOGS is to combine satellites, ground infrastructure, data processing and distribution, and to draw on commercial services and the capacities of member states.
What the two contracts cover
ICEYE and Leonardo will develop architecture options across the full value chain: from user needs and the space segment to ground infrastructure, data processing, distribution and governance. The studies are funded by the European Commission and are part of Element 1 of ESA's new European Resilience from Space for Earth Observation programme (ERS-EO), which ESA member states decided at the Ministerial Council in November 2025.
"These two contracts are an important early milestone to construct and define the space architecture and the technological foundations for the initiative."Simonetta Cheli, ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes
Next steps
ESA expects the outcomes of the studies in 2027. They will form the basis for the design and development of EOGS. For the European space industry, the programme is a sign that security-related Earth observation is becoming a major field of institutional demand.
Related reading
- Sun-Synchronous Orbit Explained: Why Earth Observation Satellites Fly SSO
- Satellite Constellations Explained: Why Many Satellites Work Better Than One
- Satellite Ground Systems: Ground Stations, Antennas and Network Infrastructure
Sources
- ESA, "ESA awards contracts for Europe's EOGS blueprint", press release N° 53-2026, 17 September 2026: esa.int
Cover image: The Swiss Alps photographed from the International Space Station by astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, 26 June 2023. Image: NASA, images.nasa.gov.