ESA has awarded parallel architecture-study contracts to ICEYE and Leonardo to shape the future European Union Earth Observation Governmental Service, or EOGS. The work forms part of the European Resilience from Space for Earth Observation programme and will define how the planned secure service will work across satellites, ground systems, data handling, security and governance ahead of a targeted start in 2028.
The two studies will run separately but in parallel, with each team developing an end-to-end architecture for a service intended to support EU and member-state security and defence requirements. The scope covers user needs, the space segment, ground infrastructure, data processing and distribution, and the security model. Results from the studies are due in 2027 and are expected to inform the implementation phase.
The programme is backed by the European Commission and was approved at the ESA Ministerial Council in November 2025. ICEYE is leading an ARISE consortium that includes several European industrial partners, while Leonardo is heading a separate group involving Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space, e-GEOS and other partners. The contracts are an early preparatory step rather than an operational deployment, with no satellite procurement or final architecture decision announced yet.