European Union Satellite Centre

The European Union Satellite Centre (EU SatCen; previously EUSC) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that supports the EU's decision-making in the field of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), including crisis management missions and operations. It provides products and services resulting from the exploitation of relevant space assets and collateral data, including satellite and aerial imagery, and related services. SatCen is headquartered in the Torrejón Air Base, located in the Spanish municipality of the same name, in the vicinity of Madrid.

The staff of the centre, headed by Director Sorin Dumitru Ducaru, consists of experienced image analysts, geospatial specialists and supporting personnel, recruited from EU Member States. Experts seconded from Member States work at the SatCen for periods ranging from six months to three years. Temporary staff are recruited as needed. SatCen assures technical development activities in direct support to its operational activities, as well as specialised training for image analysts.

History
The SatCen was founded in 1992 as the Western European Union Satellite Centre. It was incorporated as an EU agency on 1 January 2002.

In June 2014, a new Council Decision replaced the former Council Joint Action of 2001 to modify SatCen's mission, aligning it with the evolution of the user demand and the developments of the EU's space activities relevant to CFSP (ref. 1), making it an essential interface with the European Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT, ref. 2) community.

Ducaru became Director of SatCen in June 2019.

Production and users
In 2015, SatCen provided 1,348 products for the benefit of a large community of users, such as the European External Action Service in general, but especially the EU Military Staff, the EU Intelligence Analysis Centre and the Civil Planning and Conduct Capability, as well as EU member states and international organisations.