Ibadan, 13 November 2023. – The Space Data Association has announced the European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Partnership (EU SST) as the recipient of the T.S. Kelso Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to space flight safety. The EU SST Partnership relies on the SSA capabilities of 15 Member states of the European Union to provide space safety services, with the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) acting as the Front Desk.
Collision avoidance in space has been in focus in recent years as the industry embarks on a new era of growth in satellite launches. As a result, the T.S. Kelso Award celebrates substantial, innovative, long-term, and practical original contributions to the advancement of space safety and the preservation of the space environment.
Speaking on the award, Joe Chan, SDA Chairman, commented, “The service has become a world-leading institutional SST service. Its capability to task its own sensors and provide an independent risk assessment is extremely valuable to users, many of whom are also SDA Members.”The Chairman also added, “The EU SST has set a high bar for new institutional SST services currently being developed, and it is an incredibly worthy winner of the T.S. Kelso Award.”
In response, Dr Pascal Faucher, EU SST Chairman, Defence and Security, CNES, thanked the Space Data Association, adding, “The year 2023 represents a turning point for EU SST with the opening of the collision avoidance service to spacecraft operators worldwide since the 1st of January 2023.” Faucher also added, “As we see a sharp increase in the number of satellites in orbit, it is imperative that all together cooperate to ensure safe, secure and sustainable space operations.”
