# What are space-enabled solutions? Definition and examples A space-enabled solution is a service that uses Earth observation, satellite navigation or satellite communication, usually combined with AI, other data and existing processes, to solve a specific task for an organisation. The satellite is only one part: the solution also includes the software, the workflow and the people who act on the result. Satellites observe the Earth, determine positions and carry data. This page explains what turns these capabilities into a solution, which technologies and European programmes are involved, and how an organisation can introduce one. **Definition: Space-enabled solution.** A space-enabled solution is a service that uses Earth observation, satellite navigation or satellite communication, usually combined with AI, other data and existing processes, to solve a specific task for an organisation. This is the working definition we use at LETO SPACE. A solution is defined by its task and measured by the result it delivers, not by the satellite it uses. The satellite often stays invisible to the person who uses the result. **Figure:** A space-enabled solution combines satellite data with software, existing processes and the people who act on the result. The satellite is only one part of it. ## The building blocks: three space technologies and AI Three groups of space technology supply the capability. AI is, in our view, the layer that makes their data usable for a decision. **The building blocks of a space-enabled solution** | What it provides | The question it answers | | --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | Earth observation | Images and measurements of land, water and atmosphere | | Satellite navigation (GNSS) | Position, navigation and precise time | | Satellite communication | Communication links via satellite | | AI and analytics | Analysis of large volumes of images and signals | **Earth observation** gathers information about the Earth's surface, waters and atmosphere with sensors on satellites, aircraft or the ground, for example as optical images or radar measurements [1]. Our page on [Earth observation](https://leto.space/knowledge/earth-observation/) explains how it works and which data are free. **Satellite navigation** (GNSS) provides positioning, navigation and timing services [2]. More on [GNSS](https://leto.space/knowledge/gnss/). **Satellite communication** connects people, vehicles and sensors via satellite. Satellite networks can extend connectivity for the internet of things into remote areas, for example to monitor assets [9]. More on [satellite communication](https://leto.space/knowledge/satellite-communication/). **AI** turns large volumes of data into answers. Geospatial foundation models, for example, are pre-trained on large sets of satellite images and then adapted to tasks such as flood mapping [12]. ## The European programmes behind them The EU Space Programme, established by Regulation (EU) 2021/696, has five components: Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, Space Situational Awareness and GOVSATCOM [2]. Four of them supply the capabilities on this page: - **Copernicus** is the Earth observation component of the programme. It combines data from satellites with measurements from sensors on the ground, in the air and at sea [1], and it makes its data available on a free, full and open basis [2] [5]. - **Galileo** is the EU's global navigation satellite system and, unlike other global systems, a civilian one [6]. - **EGNOS** is Europe's regional satellite-based augmentation system. It improves the accuracy of GNSS positioning and adds an integrity message [7]. - **GOVSATCOM** provides secure satellite communication for public authorities, in particular for crisis management, surveillance and the management of key infrastructure [8]. Under Regulation (EU) 2023/588, the Union Secure Connectivity Programme is establishing a multi-orbital, secure connectivity system for satellite communication services to government-authorised users [3]. The European Commission calls this system IRIS² [4]. Many solutions also use data from outside the EU programmes, such as Landsat images from the US Geological Survey [11] or images from commercial satellites. The European Space Agency helps companies turn ideas into market-ready space-based services and applications through Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS), which has continued under ESA's ACCESS programme since 27 November 2025 [10]. ## Examples by industry Each use case page explains one application: the task, the data, what you receive and the limits. [Browse all use cases](https://leto.space/use-cases/) ## Solution, satellite data or space product? Three terms are often mixed up. The difference matters when you plan a budget or write a tender, because each one is bought differently. **Three related terms** | What it is | Example | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Satellite data | Images, measurements or signals as a satellite mission delivers them | | Space product | Hardware or infrastructure that produces, receives or relays the signal | | Space-enabled solution | A service that delivers a result for a task, built on one or more of the above | ESA's BASS programme speaks of "space-based services and applications" [10]. Whatever the name, a tender should describe the result you need, not the satellite or the sensor. The [procurement guide](https://leto.space/knowledge/procurement-guide/) shows how. ## Limits: when space is not the answer **Limits** - **Satellite data is not always the right tool:** Sometimes sensors on site, drones or existing statistics answer the question better. A good assessment can end with the result that satellite data is not the right tool. - **A pilot is not operation:** A pilot shows that a solution works on a test area. Operation also needs an owner, a budget for the following years and a clear process for acting on the results. ## How organisations introduce a space-enabled solution An introduction usually passes through four stages: find the use case that pays off, write requirements that providers can answer, procure the solution, and bring it into daily work. Our consulting supports each stage, and you can start at any of them. We also develop Spacegraph, a discovery platform for space-enabled solutions. **Next steps** - [Our consulting](https://leto.space/consulting/): From the first question to a solution in operation. - [Procurement guide](https://leto.space/knowledge/procurement-guide/): Six steps from the decision to the evaluation of offers. - [Spacegraph](https://leto.space/spacegraph/): Our discovery platform for space-enabled solutions. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between space-enabled solutions and satellite data? Satellite data are images, measurements or signals as a mission delivers them. A space-enabled solution uses such data to deliver a result for a task: for example a map of sealed surfaces that a planning department receives every quarter. Much satellite data is free: Copernicus data, for example, are made available on a free, full and open basis to users worldwide [5]. The work lies in turning the data into a result that fits the task. ### Do space-enabled solutions always need AI? No. Machine guidance on a construction site, for example, relies on precise GNSS positioning [13] and needs no AI. AI helps where large volumes of images must be analysed, for example to map floods or burn scars in satellite images [12]. ### Are space-enabled solutions only for large organisations? No. Because Copernicus data are free and open [5], for many tasks the main effort lies in processing the data and fitting the result into your work, not in buying the data. A municipality or a small company can start with a pilot on a defined area and a clear question. ### What is the German term for space-enabled solutions? We use "weltraumgestützte Lösungen". In running German text, "Lösungen auf Basis von Satellitendaten" describes the same thing in more concrete words. ## Sources 1. [What is Earth Observation?, EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 2026-07-13](https://www.euspa.europa.eu/eu-space-programme/copernicus/what-earth-observation) 2. [Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of 28 April 2021 establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, European Union, EUR-Lex, 2021-05-12](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/696/oj/eng) 3. [Regulation (EU) 2023/588 of 15 March 2023 establishing the Union Secure Connectivity Programme for the period 2023-2027, European Union, EUR-Lex, 2023-03-15](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/588/oj/eng) 4. [IRIS²: secure connectivity, European Commission, DG DEFIS, accessed 2026-10-06](https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-space/iris2-secure-connectivity_en) 5. [Copernicus, European Commission, DG Defence Industry and Space (EU Space portal), accessed 2026-10-07](https://eu-space.europa.eu/earth-observation/copernicus) 6. [Galileo, EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), accessed 2026-10-06](https://www.euspa.europa.eu/eu-space-programme/galileo) 7. [EGNOS, EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), accessed 2026-10-06](https://www.euspa.europa.eu/eu-space-programme/egnos) 8. [GOVSATCOM Hub, EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), accessed 2026-10-06](https://www.euspa.europa.eu/govsatcom-hub) 9. [Satcoms for the Internet of Things, European Space Agency (ESA), Connectivity and Secure Communications, 2016-05-26](https://resilience.esa.int/archives/news/satcoms-internet-things) 10. [ESA Space Solutions: Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS), European Space Agency (ESA), ESA Space Solutions, accessed 2026-10-07](https://business.esa.int/) 11. [Landsat Data Access, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), accessed 2026-10-06](https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions/landsat-data-access) 12. [IBM Research and NASA IMPACT release open-source geospatial foundation model on Hugging Face, NASA Earthdata, 2023-08-03](https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/news/blog/ibm-research-nasa-impact-release-open-source-geospatial-foundation-model-hugging-face) 13. [EU Space Market Report 2026, Issue 1, EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), 2026-05-26](https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/EU_Space_Market_Report_2026.pdf) Page: