Ben Lane, CIPRE event manager, met Florent Koné who currently serves as the IRIS² SatCom Market and Innovation Officer at EUSPA (European Union Agency for the Space Programme) where he defines strategies to drive the uptake of EU Space services for the critical infrastructure market segment.
With over a decade of experience, Florent has held senior positions at leading satellite telecommunications companies where he drove commercial strategies and product development.
This is a transcript of their conversation.
Ben Lane:
Hello Florent, good to have you here today. You will be joining us in Madrid for CIPRE 2024 where you will be speaking on the Communications Sector Symposium, see more at https://www.cipre-expo.com/session/communications-sector-symposium/
We look forward to hearing what you have to say. In the meantime, we have a few questions about your agency and its operations. But first, please tell us a little bit about yourself, who you are and why you are here.
Florent Koné:
Thank you. Good to be here. I am the IRIS² SatCom Market and Innovation Officer here at EUSPA, a European Union organisation I joined just over a year ago after spending more than 15 years in the private sector, mostly in the SATCOM industry with various roles ranging from technical to commercial.
Ben Lane:
Great. Thank you very much. So, first question: can you tell us a bit more about EUSPA and its roles and functions?
Florent Koné:
EUSPA, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, is the user-centric operational agency for the EU Space Programme. It was created in 2021 off the back of the proven record of its predecessor agency called GSA, the European GNSS Authority, which spearheaded the development of Galileo and EGNOS. As the European Union expanded its space capabilities and assets, the scope and mandate of the previous agency expanded and led to the creation of a bigger agency (now called EUSPA), which has a much larger mandate. We now cover much more than the European Union satellite navigation systems. We cover three additional space components, Copernicus, which is the European earth observation program as well as secure government satellite communications components through GOVSATCOM and IRIS². The third component is a space situational awareness programme, which is critical for monitoring space hazards and space traffic.
As an operational agency, EUSPA has three main tasks; an exploitation activity, we are managing the operations of some EU space components, mostly Galileo and EGNOS and EU SST Front Desk. Then there is the operational security activity. EUSPA is ensuring the safety and security of the EU Space Programme in space and on the ground. We monitor 24/7 the security of Galileo for instance. Finally, we work to ensure there is an uptake of the EU Space programme components capabilities by the EU community of users.
Ben Lane:
The second point I would like to raise with you is how does EUSPA see the EU space Programme contributing to the security of Europe’s critical infrastructure?
Florent Koné:
We see the EU Space Programme as a vital tool for securing Europe’s critical infrastructure operations by providing reliable, secure space-based services. All the components from Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and GOVSATCOM offer a range of capabilities to support the protection and resilience of critical infrastructure. We can cover the full life cycle of critical infrastructure from site selection to operations and decommissioning. For example, with our Earth’s observation programme, Copernicus, we can monitor land deformations, which is a key input before selecting a site for building critical infrastructure, and then we can monitor its operational life to make sure the land integrity remains safe.
Now, if I use Galileo to illustrate what we can do, when we look at complex networks; timing synchronisation is a key attribute to operate these various networks because critical infrastructure operators, such as in the energy vertical, need to understand what is happening in a specific part of the network in order to take actions in another part of the network (to ensure the energy supply matches the demand and avoid outage events). A terrestrial source of timing synchronisation is clearly possible, however, having a Galileo-based solution brings an additional layer of resilience against cyber-attacks or physical attacks; it is much more complicated to bring a satellite down than cutting a cable or attacking a terrestrial network!
Ben Lane:
How is the GOVSATCOM programme contributing to European security and what can users expect from it now and in the future?
Florent Koné:
GOVSATCOM will be the new kid on the block. This capability is not live, but we are getting there. By early next year, we will have initial services. GOVSATCOM will be a shift of paradigm in the way that all EU member states will be able to access secure SATCOM services. Today there is what we call a “fragmentation of the demand,” which means that every member state is shopping around for SATCOM needs or building their own system. With the launch of GOVSATCOM, we will create what we call a “common EU pool.” We are going to pool secure SATCOM capability, which the member states will have access to, via a dedicated platform: the GOVSATCOM hub. And this is really a big shift in how member states will be able to access and consume such services. We will create an ecosystem through this platform. There will be a centralised catalogue of services that member states and authorised users will be able to browse through. There will be monitoring capability and a help desk to support users. This upcoming capability will ease the pressure on our member states and, as importantly, increase the pace at which they can access secure SATCOM services.
Ben Lane:
Okay, great. And we will be hearing more about that next week, I believe, during your presentation.
Florent Koné:
Definitely.
Ben Lane:
How will IRIS² Constellation differ from GOVSATCOM when this is introduced? What is the difference between these two components?
Florent Koné:
These two components fall under the same umbrella within EUSPA and are known as Secure SATCOM. So, we have two pillars, GOVSATCOM, that we just talked about, and IRIS². There are fundamental differences between these two pillars. GOVSATCOM is a platform. It is a digital solution (called GOVATCOM Hub) through which users and member states will be able to browse a suite of SATCOM services based on the catalogues we build, and this catalogue of services will be built based on the existing offering from governmental SATCOM operators and commercial SATCOM operators. IRIS² is different and is a game changer because it will be the EU-owned constellation of SATCOM satellites. So, this constellation of SATCOM satellites will belong to the EU and will enhance the GOVSATCOM portfolio.
When IRIS², this constellation of satellites, is live around 2030, its capability will be available through the GOVSATCOM Hub. In short, the GOVSATCOM Hub will be a platform to access services based on the current capability from governmental and commercial operators and IRIS² will be an EU-owned constellation of SATCOM satellites that will be plugged into the GOVSATCOM Hub and enhance the suite of services that our member states will be able to benefit from.
Ben Lane:
How is EUSPA ensuring its space programme remains secure in terms of cyber hacking, for example?
Florent Koné:
I will provide two examples that are quite relevant. If we look at our longest running space component, which is Galileo, as part of this programme, when we launched the first generation of satellites and then a set of services off the back of it, everything was accredited through the SAB, the Security Accreditation Board. This board plays a pivotal role in accrediting all EU Space Programme components. It ensures the security risks are known and security measures are taken to ensure those risks are at an acceptable level. So, each time we do something in any of our EU space components, it must be vetted independently by this board, where representatives from each member state sit.
In addition, there is a security monitoring centre (GSMC) that monitors 24/7, 365 days a year what is happening around the Galileo network to ensure the safeguard of the services from this constellation. So cyber security is really embedded from day one into the operations of this system. This is what EUSPA is managing to ensure; a prominent level of cyber deterrent solutions as part of the operations of the EU space components (such as Galileo or the upcoming GOVSATCOM).
Ben Lane:
Okay, that is great. Thank you, Florent, and see you in Madrid for more discussions and further details.
Florent Koné:
Thank you and I look forward to the Conference.