Safeplace signature at IAC 2

In an era where natural disasters and emergencies are becoming increasingly frequent and severe, ESA is taking a significant step forward in enhancing Europe's crisis management capabilities. This week, at the International Aeronautics Congress in Milan, ESA and Starion signed a contract to officially launch the Safety Platform for Crisis and Emergency (Safeplace) for transforming Europe’s readiness in times of crisis.  

The core of Safeplace is its ability to deliver detailed, accurate and need-specific information to first responders as quickly as possible when a crisis occurs. This rapid delivery of crucial data can make the difference between life and death in emergency situations such as floods, earthquakes, fires and chemical incidents.   

By integrating advanced Earth observation, satellite-based positioning, Internet of Things (IoT) data, and satellite communication services, Safeplace will provide crisis managers and first responders with key information even when terrestrial (ground) communication networks are down. The project will develop a digital platform that serves as a secure portal to various data sources and services. This single interface will give operators more precise situational awareness, for example, by overlaying real-time data about responder positions on the latest satellite imagery or using AI to analyse drone footage for locating victims.  

Safeplace brings together a consortium of nine companies from Belgium and Spain, led by Starion. This collaboration ensures that the project benefits from a wide range of expertise and perspectives, making it truly pan-European in scope and impact. Over the next three years, the project will focus on four pilots in Belgium and Spain, including a live demonstration with first responders reacting to a simulated toxic gas release caused by an earthquake.   

As part of our Civil Security from Space (CSS) programme, ESA is overseeing the project’s implementation, as well as offering our European Space Security and Education Centre (ESEC) as a “CSS Hub”, providing cyber security for the Safeplace system and data quality assurance for companies operating the sensors and end-user emergency centres.    

As climate change continues to pose new challenges, initiatives like Safeplace become increasingly crucial. As Safeplace develops over the coming years, it promises to make Europe safer, more resilient, and better prepared to face whatever emergencies may arise.