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  • Space-related solutions to face international security riks

    Paper number

    IAC-20,E6,4,4,x57291

    Author

    Mr. Pascal Legai, France, European Space Agency (ESA)

    Year

    2020

    Abstract
    In the field of international security, space capacities combined with other sources and instruments, can significantly contribute to manage potential risks with anticipation before they become a threat. The major identified risks to tackle today for the welfare of humanity are strongly linked to climate change, which directly impact on food, water and natural resource management. When these vital and basic living conditions are not met, the local populations leave the affected areas to find acceptable standards of living. Then, the migration flows generate human trafficking and other illegal activities, feeding terrorism and hybrid threats.
    Henceforth, the major issue is to consider to what extent space capacities can help to stem this vicious circle. For this purpose, ESA and its Member States are fully involved in the examination of technical solutions, possible applications and services to address such security challenges. Thus, it seems necessary to master and optimise each step of the whole chain from sensor to end-user in order to guarantee the indispensable reactivity, but also the availability, integrity and confidentiality, if needed, of data and resulting services. The various evolving security situations and associated risks also require the coverage of large geographic areas with the appropriate persistence/permanence for near real-time, to follow infrastructures, activities including mobile objects with all-weather capacities, in the desert, in the forest or below the soil and the vegetation canopy, in an urban setting or at sea.
    In technical terms, that means using the full electromagnetic spectrum (visible optical, multispectral, hyperspectral, thermal infrared, radar multi-bands, Lidar, video). It also means combining the respective dual-use qualities of satellites, such as constellations of small or nano-satellites, with aerial systems like HAPS or drones, merging the resulting space an aerial data with open sources, for instance, in order to provide a consolidated intelligence. However, the main effort shall focus on downstream concrete applications to provide the best possible added value from dramatically increasing the amount of heterogeneous raw data, resorting to artificial intelligence models, block chain, change detection software, irregular activities indicators, 3D simulations notably. Protection of sensitive or classified information while handling or disseminating them has to be strongly considered too. Furthermore, in-orbit processing and agile ground stations must be developed to speed up the general process.
    Abstract document

    IAC-20,E6,4,4,x57291.brief.pdf

    Manuscript document

    (absent)