From left to right: Harm van de Wetering, General Director of the Netherlands Space Agency; Ella Carlsson, Director-General of the Swedish National Space Agency; Nick Sergis, CEO of the Hellenic Space Centre; Catherine Kavvada, Director for Secure and Connected Space at DG DEFIS, European Commission; Her Excellency Laila Stenseng, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Germany; and Luigi Estero, Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassy in Berlin.
The European Commission is advancing plans for a new pilot mission to perform tasks in orbit. Together with Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway, the EU signed a joint declaration in support of the In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS) pilot mission, a step towards a European in-orbit service infrastructure. The signing took place today, 10 June 2026, at the International Airshow in Berlin.
Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said: “Europe maintains its leadership role for action in space by taking the first step towards building a new capacity for in-space operations and services, creating new business opportunities for European talents in the thriving orbital economy.”
ISOS is intended to revolutionize Europe’s actions in space, with capacities for in-orbit tasks such as capturing and repositioning satellites, satellite inspection and repairs, in-space logistics, in-space manufacturing and debris removal. It will help Europe operate, service, repair, manage and extend the lifecycle of space systems once in orbit, lowering replacement costs and ensuring the protection and long-term use of European space assets.
Germany, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Spain had already signed the declaration last year. The declaration is open to further signatures. The European Commission and the European Space Agency also signed the same declaration, sealing their long-standing in-space cooperation. Their shared ambition is to support the commercialisation and industrialisation of space activities by enabling new services in orbit and making use of European technologies.
Right after the signing of the declarations, a ceremony with industry and research leaders followed, celebrating the starting point of the implementation of the ISOS Pilot Mission with the launch of 6 ambitious Horizon Europe projects. These projects are coordinated by Thales Alenia Space (FR), Leonardo (IT), The Exploration Company (DE), ArianeGroup (DE), Planetek (IT) and RWTH Aachen University (DE).