The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has released its 2026 edition of the EU Space Market Report, forecasting continued and robust growth in the global satellite navigation and Earth observation markets. The report, published on 27 May 2026, provides a consolidated assessment of downstream space applications, covering GNSS, Earth observation, secure satellite communications and space situational awareness in a single volume for the first time.

According to EUSPA, global GNSS revenues are projected to expand from €300 billion in 2024 to €580 billion by 2034, a compound growth trajectory underpinned by the increasing role of value-added services and digital ecosystems. The report notes that service revenues are growing faster than device revenues, reflecting a broader shift toward location-based platforms, navigation applications and integrated mobility solutions. The global installed base of GNSS-enabled devices is expected to approach 10 billion units by 2034.

Earth observation is likewise set for sustained growth. EUSPA forecasts that global EO market revenues will rise from €3.5 billion in 2024 to €7.9 billion by 2034. Agriculture is identified as the largest market segment for EO, with growing use of satellite data for crop monitoring, precision farming and supply-chain verification.

For the first time, the EU Space Market Report also details the market outlook for secure satellite communications. EUSPA projects that data service revenues generated by EU users in Secure SATCOM will climb from more than €200 million in 2025 to nearly €1.2 billion by 2040. While maritime surveillance currently dominates demand, the report expects law enforcement, civil protection and force deployment to become the leading segments by 2040, driven by rising security concerns and the need for resilient connectivity in crisis situations.

The report highlights space situational awareness as an increasingly critical domain, though it does not provide a standalone revenue projection for SSA, instead framing it as an enabling capability for the broader space economy.

Officials at EUSPA said the report is designed to help policymakers, industry stakeholders and investors understand a rapidly evolving space ecosystem.

"As Europe's space capabilities become increasingly interconnected, it is essential to move beyond viewing them as standalone technologies," said Rodrigo da Costa, EUSPA Executive Director. He said the publication reflects "the growing synergies between these domains and their strategic importance for Europe's economy, resilience and autonomy."

Da Costa added that EUSPA aims to foster innovation and strengthen collaboration across the sector by providing a comprehensive view of the evolving space ecosystem, supporting the development of "a more competitive, agile and responsive European Union space economy."

The report also examines how major macroeconomic trends — including climate change, geopolitical instability and rapid urbanization — are reshaping demand for space services. Satellite-based solutions are increasingly used for environmental monitoring, disaster response, infrastructure management and security operations, the report said, with growing complementarity between EO, GNSS and SATCOM technologies.

International context

The report arrives at a time when governments and commercial operators worldwide are expanding investment in space-based capabilities. The European Union is pursuing its IRIS² secure satellite constellation project, while other countries — including the United States, China and India — are scaling up their own satellite navigation and Earth observation programs. The data presented by EUSPA suggests that downstream applications, rather than launch infrastructure alone, will capture an increasing share of value in the global space economy.

The growth forecasts for GNSS and EO reinforce the importance of satellite services to critical infrastructure sectors, including transportation, energy, agriculture and public safety. For international businesses and policymakers, the report provides evidence that space data has moved from niche technical use to mainstream economic input, particularly in areas such as autonomous mobility, climate adaptation and supply chain transparency.

Analysis and implications

The EUSPA figures point to sustained commercial demand for positioning, navigation and timing services, with global revenues approaching half a trillion euros within a decade. Analysts note that the shift toward service-based revenues signals a maturing market, where data integration, software platforms and subscription models are becoming more valuable than hardware alone.

In the Earth observation segment, the agriculture sector's leading position reflects the sector's increasing reliance on satellite imagery for operational decisions, from field-level monitoring to crop insurance. The projected growth of Secure SATCOM, meanwhile, indicates that government and institutional demand for resilient, guaranteed connectivity is becoming a major growth driver, particularly in Europe where security policy has moved up the political agenda.

The report's consolidation of GNSS, EO, SATCOM and SSA into a single analytical framework is itself a policy signal. It suggests that space agencies and regulators are beginning to treat these capabilities as an integrated infrastructure, rather than as separate markets. This could lead to more coherent regulation, cross-domain data standards and joint procurement strategies in the coming years.

Future outlook

Over the next two to five years, the space downstream market is likely to be shaped by several factors highlighted in the EUSPA report. The rollout of new satellite constellations, including Galileo second-generation satellites and the EU's IRIS² secure communications network, will expand capacity and reduce latency for commercial users.

At the same time, technological advances in edge computing, artificial intelligence and data analytics are expected to lower barriers to using satellite data, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. The growing convergence of positioning and Earth observation information with telecommunications networks will create new applications in sectors such as autonomous driving, drone logistics and climate risk assessment.

Policy attention will increasingly focus on ensuring the resilience and cyber-security of space infrastructure. The report's emphasis on security and crisis response suggests that public investment will continue to support satellite services considered critical for strategic autonomy.

The findings also carry implications for non-European markets. As global value chains for satellite-enabled services expand, companies and governments worldwide will be able to draw on more diverse data sources and commercial offerings. International cooperation, particularly in disaster management and environmental monitoring, is likely to deepen as space data becomes an accepted tool for addressing shared challenges.

EUSPA said the full report is available for download from its website. The publication is expected to serve as a reference document for the broader space community ahead of upcoming EU policy reviews on space and digital strategy.