Bulgaria Joins EU’s Secure Satellite Network to Monitor Space Debris

Bulgaria has officially joined the European Union’s secure satellite system, gaining access to a coordinated mechanism for managing radio frequencies and orbital resources, as well as the capacity to use secure satellite communications at a continental level.

“This concerns telecommunications satellites that track objects in space and alert countries that may be affected. Essentially, it is connected to the issue of space debris, which fills near-Earth orbit and can threaten the security of satellite infrastructure. Monitoring their positions and trajectories is therefore essential,” explained Assoc. Prof. Elisaveta Peneva, a meteorologist and remote Earth observation specialist, on NOVA News.

Until now, Bulgaria had not been part of this system. With approval from the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, the country will now utilize its ground infrastructure to monitor these objects and provide warnings to relevant users.

Among the services offered by the system is the ability to track satellites when they are decommissioned or re-enter the atmosphere to burn up, marking the end of their operational life. Assoc. Prof. Peneva emphasized that such processes must be carefully monitored along their entire path. Satellites or debris could pass over Bulgarian territory without being tracked if the country were not part of the system, making participation a significant security advantage.