Space is rapidly becoming a critical operational domain for European security and defence.
Today, Sandra Mezzadri, Founder and Managing Director of MSB Consulting, moderated two dedicated sessions at EXPANDEO 2026 in Brussels, bringing together institutional representatives, industry leaders and end users to discuss how Earth Observation capabilities can support Europe’s defence and security needs.
As Europe accelerates efforts to strengthen its defence readiness and strategic autonomy, Earth Observation is emerging as a key capability for situational awareness, resilience, crisis response and military decision-making.
The two panels brought together institutional, industry and end-user perspectives around:
🔹 The strategic and policy dimensions of Earth Observation for security and defence, including the growing importance of dual-use systems and the links between civil and defence innovation ecosystems.
🔹 Operational considerations, focusing on user requirements, capability needs, implementation challenges and the future integration of Earth Observation solutions into security and defence activities.
The discussions highlighted a clear trend: Earth Observation is increasingly becoming a critical enabler of situational awareness, infrastructure resilience, crisis response and defence capability development, reinforcing the strategic value of the space sector for European security.
Thank you to EARSC for the invitation and to all speakers and participants for a highly relevant exchange on the future of European security, defence and space capabilities.
📸 Sandra Mezzadri, Founder and Managing Director of MSB Consulting, moderating the security and defence sessions at EXPANDEO 2026.
📍 Brussels | 10 June 2026
