The Next Galileo Flap? EU Space Surveillance Move Provides Opportunities, Challenges for U.S.

摘要

The European Union is eyeing development of its own space surveillance network. The rationale put forth by European space officials — the need for independence from the U.S. Air Force's Space Surveillance Network (SSN) — echoes the inception of Galileo, Europe's rival to the Global Positioning System. Let's hope the rhetoric in Europe and the reaction in the United States will not spark a repeat of the politically charged Galileo flap. While a European space surveillance network raises some challenges for the U.S. military space community, it also would provide opportunities for improved trans-Atlantic cooperation in space.