ESA's Connectivity and Secure Communications Directorate
ESA's Connectivity and Secure Communications Directorate is responsible for co-ordinating, shaping and supporting innovation in satellite telecommunications and for the promotion of applications that involve the combined use of space-based systems.
By facilitating research and development activities and by forging industrial partnerships, the directorate contributes to the development of the European and Canadian satellite communications industries by assisting them in the production of advanced technologies and concepts to develop world-class products and services.
The directorate also plays an investment role by supporting public-private partnerships that contribute to the development and deployment of new satellite systems allowing the demonstration and validation of future services.
The work of the directorate includes:
- Identifying the needs of industry, satellite operators and European institutions and proposing programmes and developments that address these needs.
- Undertaking development, testing and in-orbit demonstration of new satellite systems, equipment and services.
- Ensuring that new technologies are successfully turned into products and services which are subsequently exploited by service providers and applications developers.
- Promoting standards to ensure the benefits of interoperability of systems across Europe and Canada.
- Developing space-based applications that provide solutions to the needs of European citizens and society at large.
The ESA telecommunications programme has been in place since 1975. Through its many research and development activities, it has contributed to the consolidation of the competitive position of European industry, operators and service providers. In the course of its development, the ESA telecommunications programme has evolved into a flexible tool known as the programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES). ARTES offers varying degrees of support to projects with different levels of operational and commercial maturity.
ESA Member States’ participation
The TIA directorate’s ARTES programme is currently supported by 18 ESA Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and also Canada, an ESA cooperating state. Each country's subscription determines the level of participation of its own industrial sector in ARTES. The national interests of each country are represented by their respective delegations.
