The ESA Independent Safety Office (TEC-QI) is honoured to announce the publication of the first ESA Planetary Protection Handbook (PP HB), ESSB-HB-U-006, Iss. 1.

ESA Planetary Protection Handbook available

“This document marks another milestone in ESA’s planetary protection vision, as outlined in Technology 2040. It aims to make verification more transparent and embed planetary protection more firmly within project teams.” says Silvio Sinibaldi, ESA Planetary Protection Officer. “Planetary protection is not ‘black magic’; it is part of the systems engineering trade-off and included throughout mission development from the early project phases through verification of requirements, launch and mission operations.” Silvio continues.
The Handbook provides guidelines on verification methods and possible implementation measures in support of ESA Projects to facilitate compliance with the ESA Planetary Protection (PP) requirements and policy. The document has been prepared by the ESA Planetary Protection Working Group, convened and coordinated by the ESA Planetary Protection Officer, and involving experts from relevant disciplines in the ESA Technical, Engineering and Quality (TEC) Directorate, ESA Operations (OPS), Human and Robotic Explorations (HRE) and Science (SCI) Directorates.

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“This handbook describes the analyses, approaches, and documentation used to demonstrate compliance with ESA Planetary Protection requirements. It also supports the transition from purely prescriptive approaches to risk-informed decision-making frameworks, which are widely used across all safety and mission assurance disciplines in my office,” says Paloma Villar, Head of the Independent Safety Office TEC-QI.
The PP HB is intended for ESA projects and their partners, including commercial and private entities, as well as ESA Directors, Project Managers, Study Managers, Mission Managers, Product Assurance and Safety Managers, System Engineers, and planetary protection practitioners involved in the design or operation of space systems subject to ESA Planetary Protection requirements.

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“Planetary protection enables space exploration while safeguarding science and our investment in space. With this first handbook, we aim to offer practical options and solutions and prepare for increasingly complex future missions. Our goal is to support more frequent access to space in a sustainable and responsible way,” - reiterates Silvio.
The Planetary Protection Handbook is intended as both a living document and a tutorial, with periodic updates planned as scientific knowledge and methodologies evolve.
See the first version of the <a href="https://technology.esa.int/upload/media/ESSB-HB-U-006-Issue-1--1-July-2026-.pdf" target="_blank">PP Handbook here</a>. Contact the ESA Planetary Protection Officer <a href="mailto:Silvio.Sinibaldi@esa.int" target="_blank">Silvio.Sinibaldi</a> for any questions about the Handbook.
More information about <a href="https://technology.esa.int/page/planetary-protection" target="_self">Planetary Protection activities at ESA can be found here</a>.

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The General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) is hosting a webinar dedicated to the upcoming GSTP Quantum technology activities – Cold Atom Interferometers (CAI) for Quantum Inertial Sensing, Resilient Navigation, and Future Space Applications.
The webinar will provide an overview of the opportunities available to European industry, SMEs, research institutes, and academia, as well as present the objectives, scope, and expected outcomes of the planned technology developments.&nbsp;
Cold atom interferometers are emerging as a key enabling technology for next-generation quantum inertial sensing systems, offering the potential for highly accurate navigation, positioning in environments where GNSS signals are unavailable, degraded, or denied, for Earth observation capabilities for geodesy, thermosphere or Earth Energy Imbalance monitoring as well as Fundamental Physics tests or Space Exploration. Through this set of activities, ESA aims to advance the critical building blocks required to mature CAI technologies towards future space and terrestrial applications.&nbsp;

GSTP Quantum Technologies Webinar: Cold Atom Interferometers (CAI)

The webinar will cover the following GSTP Quantum activities: 
GT1Q-809MM – Continuous Beam Generation of Ultra-Cold Atoms&nbsp;&nbsp;
GT1Q-811MM – Robust High-Flux Source for Ultra-Cold Atoms&nbsp;&nbsp;
GT1Q-814MM – Agile Laser System for Cold Atom Interferometer Technology with Low SWaP&nbsp;&nbsp;
GT1Q-815MM – Versatile Control Unit for Cold Atom Interferometer Technology&nbsp;&nbsp;
GT1Q-816MM – Inertial Reference Platform for Ultra-Precise Cold Atom Interferometer Inertial Sensing&nbsp;&nbsp;
Together, these activities address the key technological building blocks required to enable future quantum inertial sensors and navigation systems based on cold atom interferometry.&nbsp;
Status: scheduled
Pre-registration: requested&nbsp;
Who can attend: registered&nbsp;
Start date: 2 July
Start time: 14:00
End time: 16:00
Location: Online (webinar)
Registration link: GSTP Quantum Technologies Webinar: Cold Atom Interferometers - 2 July&nbsp;

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Young professionals working for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the space sector are invited to apply to attend a Product Assurance Awareness Training Course offered by ESA Academy. The five-day training course will take place on 2–6 December 2024 at ESA’s Training and Learning Facility in ESEC-Galaxia, Transinne, Belgium.

Young professionals invited to join ESA Academy Product Assurance Training Course

In-depth
As part of a pilot, young professionals can take part in an ESA Academy course for the first time. The ESA Academy is the Agency’s overarching educational programme for university students which is now opening its doors to SME professionals with less than two years of experience.
Further information about this Product Assurance Awareness Course, including a course description and schedule, is available on the <a href="https://www.esa.int/Education/ESA_Academy/Product_Assurance_Awareness_Training_Course_2024_now_open_for_applications" target="_blank"><ins>ESA Academy website</ins></a> .
To take part in the session, interested participants should take note of the following:
<ul>
<li>Young Professionals applying should be employees of an SME as per <a href="https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/smes/sme-fundamentals/sme-definition_en" target="_blank"><ins>SME definition</ins></a> from an <a href="https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/Member_States_Cooperating_States" target="_blank"><ins>ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia or Slovenia</ins></a> . A list of companies with a validated SME status by ESA is available <a href="https://esastar-emr.sso.esa.int/PublicEntityDir/PublicEntityDirSme" target="_blank"><ins>here</ins></a> .</li>
<li>Applicants should not have been in their current position, their first job after university, for more than 2 years.</li>
<li>Applicants should be citizens of an ESA Member State, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia or Slovenia.</li>
<li>Applicants are expected to attend the entire training in person.</li>
<li>The training course itself is free of charge. ESA Academy will not pay for an applicant’s travel to ESEC-Galaxia, nor for any hotel and dinner costs. Participants have the possibility to book accommodation for EUR 66 per night per person at Val de Poix. Dinner is available a la carte or with the students. Transport from the hotel to ESEC-Galaxia if offered free of charge. Lunches during the training are offered by ESA Academy.</li>
</ul>

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How to apply:
<ul>
<li>Fill in <a href="https://educationforms.esa.int/tlp/paatc_24-product-assurance-awareness-training-course-2024-application-form-for-smes/" target="_blank"><ins>this form</ins></a> ;</li>
<li>Upload a motivation letter (PDF, maximum 1 page, no images);</li>
<li>Upload a CV (<a href="https://europa.eu/europass/eportfolio/screen/profile-wizard?lang=en" target="_blank"><ins>Europass format</ins></a> , PDF, maximum 2 pages);</li>
</ul>
All answers and documents should be in English.
The deadline for applications is 21 October 2024 23:59 CEST.
For any questions, contact ESA Academy at: academy.training@esa.int

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The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) recently updated its Planetary Protection policy, which was published in the Space Research Today journal. This revised edition incorporates structural and editorial improvements that expand upon the text from 2021, without altering the content of the respective substantive guidelines beyond what has been originally agreed by the Panel and validated by the Bureau, but with enhanced consistency and clarity.

New Restructured COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection Recently Published

Relevant changes to the COSPAR PP Policy include:
<ul>
<li>Revision of the Preamble and Policy chapters (1 and 2) to increase linguistic clarity and extend the references to Articles VI and IX of the Outer Space Treaty. The new version highlights the policy’s status as a voluntary international standard and introduces a shift towards an objectives-driven and adaptable approach to contamination control guidelines based on evolving scientific understanding.</li>
<li>Addition of chapter 3 (Role of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection), focused on the role of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection and the development of the policy and associated guidance and implementation support.</li>
<li>Addition of chapter 4 (Key Assumptions), highlighting key assumptions that form the basis for the technical guidelines, along with the rationale and background references.</li>
<li>Addition of chapter 5 (Categorization), which compiles all the key elements and considerations for categorization into a single chapter, including the rationale for the categorization process.</li>
<li>Revision of chapter 6 (Guidelines) to include an objective paragraph in the beginning of each of the sub-chapters, providing additional context to the end user.</li>
<li>Addition of chapter 7 (Reporting on Mission Activities), which clarifies clauses pertaining the reporting of planetary protection activities to COSPAR by entities conducting activities in outer space.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Comprehensive revision of chapter 8 (References) to provide references to recent, peer-reviewed publications that serve as the foundation for the Panel’s recommendations.</li>
<li>Addition of a Terms and Definitions appendix (A), a Reporting to COSPAR Recommended Elements appendix (B), and a Mission Documentation Expected Elements appendix (C).</li>
</ul>
Planetary Protection benefits from international collaboration and consensus. The COSPAR PP policy is an example on how space agencies and scientific community can come together and agree on international guidelines for promoting a responsible and sustainable space exploration. The ESA PP Officer Silvio Sinibaldi has led the effort from ESA side to help the restructuring of the COSPAR PP policy along with the members of the COSPAR PP Panel. There won’t be impacts on ESA missions following this restructuring of the PP policy. The ESA Planetary Protection Policy is fully compliant with such guidelines.
Get access to the new policy and understand more about the updates <a href="https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/assets/uploads/2024/07/PP-Policy_SRT_220-July-2024.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.
Get to know more about the role of the COSPAR PP panel <a href="https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/scientific-structure/panels/panel-on-planetary-protection-ppp/" target="_blank">here</a>.

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Calling all satcom stakeholders! Our 5th Advanced Flexible Telecom Payloads Workshop <a href="https://nikal.eventsair.com/cmspreview/advanced-flexible-telecom-payloads/" target="_blank">website</a> is now live.&nbsp;

5th Advanced Flexible Telecom Payloads Workshop

The workshop offers an opportunity to discover and explore the advances in flexible satcom payload products and solutions. Abstracts deadline: 10 September 2024 When: 18-20 March 2025 Where: ESA-ECSAT, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, UK Who: The workshop will involve discussions led by global experts and connect participants across a variety of worldwide telecommunications businesses, including operators, manufacturers, research institutions and universities.&nbsp;
Follow us for the latest news on the workshop, and be sure to check the <a href="https://nikal.eventsair.com/cmspreview/advanced-flexible-telecom-payloads/" target="_blank">website</a> regularly for the latest announcements, including when registration goes live.

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ESA Planetary Protection Handbook available

GSTP Quantum Technologies Webinar: Cold Atom Interferometers (CAI)

Young professionals invited to join ESA Academy Product Assurance Training Course

New Restructured COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection Recently Published

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