The Netherlands Air Force strengthens its space capabilities

The Netherlands Space Operations Centre, a branch of the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force, will incorporate GMV technology to strengthen its Space Domain Awareness systems. Specifically, the centre will integrate Ecosstm software, GMV’s advanced solution for Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) control centres, Space Domain Awareness (SDA), and Space Traffic Management (STM), into its operational architecture.

Among other functionalities, it will provide space object catalogue maintenance, overflight events detection, re-entry monitoring, and collision avoidance management. The software covers the entire operational chain, from sensor planning and allocation to the provision of advanced services to end users, including the generation and maintenance of a space objects catalogue.

The technology that the Netherlands Space Operations Centre will now adopt is already operating in other demanding environments. These include the German military Space Domain Awareness Centre (Weltraumlagezentrum), the Spanish military Space Operations and Surveillance Centre (COVE), the civilian space surveillance systems of several countries, such as Romania and Greece, GMV's commercial space surveillance operations centre, Focusoc, and the new Space Safety Portal of the Space Data Association. This track record validates the maturity and reliability of the solution.

Key milestone
Alberto Águeda, director of space surveillance and traffic management at GMV, said: “This new contract strengthens GMV’s long track record in the field of space traffic knowledge, surveillance, and management, where GMV is a global leader in the civil, military, and commercial sectors. Having the Dutch Armed Forces as a new user of our technology is a key milestone that allows us to solidify Ecosstm as a reference solution in a critical domain such as space security, safety and sustainability.”

Major Scott Akkerman, space domain awareness portfolio manager at the Space Operations Centre of the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force, added: “The implementation of Ecosstm as a proven software suite in the Netherlands Space Operations Centre is an important link in the first steps towards our sovereign Space Domain Awareness capability, in order to conduct national operations in space and providing solid services and products to the other branches of our armed forces, our allies and to NATO.”

The adoption of Ecosstm by the NLD Defence Space Security Centre strengthens European cooperation in space security and reinforces GMV’s position as a leading provider of space surveillance, command, and control systems, with proven experience in both civil and military applications.