Research for Europe’s technological independence in space / 2021
Project UN:IO: Fraunhofer Institutes INT and IAF support preparations for a sovereign European satellite network
The Fraunhofer Institutes INT and IAF and the Fraunhofer Lead Market Aerospace Economics, together with an international consortium of medium-sized space companies and start-ups, have won the 1.4 million euro tender for the preparatory study of an independent European satellite network. With this network, the European Commission (EC) plans to ensure the data and technology sovereignty of the European Union in the future. Under the project title UN:IO, the selected study envisions a new type of satellite constellation with high-performance communications technology in various orbits whose satellites return to Earth after their operating lives, thus avoiding space debris.
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