Photo: European Defense Agency

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is going to explore the Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) region in space in a major new research project. The project, called VLEO-DEF, will design the first European military satellite concept specifically for VLEO. The project will run for 36 months. The EDA revealed details of the project, March 13.

The EDA has signed a research contract worth 15.65 million euros ($17.87 million) with an industry consortium made up of 17 European industrial and research organisations. Five European Member States (Spain, France, Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovenia) will fund the project.

VLEO is an orbital region roughly 250 to 350 kilometers above Earth. Operating closer to the planet allows satellites to capture far more detailed images, a key advantage for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Signals also travel a shorter distance, allowing faster delivery of information to military commanders. Satellites orbiting hundreds of kilometers above Earth already underpin modern defence, but EDA now wants to bring them even closer to the planet. The project will run for 36 months.

VLEO-DEF is not EDA’s first step into this field. In 2024, the EDA began the LEO2VLEO project involving Austria and the Netherlands which will build a constellation of three satellites capable of manoeuvring between traditional LEO and VLEO. The aim of that program is to demonstrate how satellites could temporarily descend into VLEO for specific missions before returning to higher orbit.