Bulgaria Joins the Ell SST Space Initiative

The Council of Ministers has decided to approve Bulgaria's accession to the "Ell SST Partnership" initiative for space surveillance and tracking, the government press service announced. This decision marks a significant step towards strengthening the country's space potential.

The initiative aims to strengthen cooperation between the member states of the European Union in the field of space surveillance and tracking. In today's interconnected world, when our dependence on space technologies is constantly growing, such a partnership is of key importance. Ensuring a sustainable and competitive European space sector is not just an innovation priority, but a strategic necessity for achieving sustainability and safety.

The SST system has a network of ground and space-based sensors that are able to observe and track space objects. These sensors work in combination with processing capabilities designed to provide data, information and services for space objects orbiting the Earth. The services offered by SST are critically important as they assess the risk of collisions in orbit and uncontrolled re-entry of space debris into the Earth's atmosphere. In addition, the system plays an important role in detecting and characterizing fragmentations in orbit that can be dangerous.

Bulgaria's inclusion in the European initiative is considered appropriate by the government. It is expected that this will contribute to the construction of a modern space ecosystem that stimulates economic growth through the development of the Bulgarian space industry and the promotion of international partnerships, the decision states. This step underlines the growing importance of the space sector for the development of the nation.

The Head of State Rumen Radev commented on the importance of space technologies, emphasizing their essential role. "The development of a modern economy, defense capabilities and even our daily lives is unthinkable without achievements in space science, technology and industry," he stated. The President made this statement at the end of October, during the opening of the new space center of "EnduroSat". This underlines the strategic importance of investments in the space sector and supports Bulgaria's aspiration to actively participate in European space initiatives.